Blood Crazed
by alice2104
Summary: Set after S01E17. Stefan has tasted Elena's blood and cannot fight the urges to control himself. Can Damon save Elena against a blood crazed Stefan who will stop at nothing to get what he wants? Story better than summary. Please Read
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone! This is my own version of what would have happened if Stefan's blood control went down a different path when he first tasted Elena's after she rescued him from Pearls place. Set after S01E17 of Vampire Diaries. I DO NOT OWN THE VAMPIRE DIARIES.

Chapter 1.

Winter had come early this year as the wind whipped my hair harshly across my face. My feet moved in a quick jog as I moved up the steps towards my front door, eager to get inside and away from the cold air. Stefan hadn't shown up at any of our classes today and my mind had enjoyed spinning wild theories and paranoid thoughts about his recent actions.

What I did, rushing into the woods to save Stefan, I would have done again in a heartbeat. I replayed the entire scene over in my mind until I remembered his venomous eyes turned on me. I let my head rest on the inside of my front door as I visibly winced at the unwanted memory.

Stefan was simply protecting me. There was no question to it. He had simply been caught up in the attack to the other vampire and thought I was an approaching threat. I couldn't control my following train of thought that made me question him. Stefan was always in control and would always be able to sense it was me.

I forced my eyes open and pushed myself away from the doors surface.

I knew Stefan. He would never harm me. I headed up the stairs and swung my bedroom door open. The sight caused unwanted fear to rise to the surface as I saw Stefan sitting casually on my window sill. I silently prayed he didn't notice my slight hesitation as I continued into the room.  
_There's nothing to be afraid of. It's Stefan for Christ sake!_

"Hey. Where were you today?"

He fiddled idly with the green cushion next to his leg. "I was just ...uh..."

My mind sent me back to his sudden change after I healed him from my blood. His enraged yet blood lusted expression raced back into my head before I could stop it, reminding me of how he turned on me. I had never thought that the blood would do that to him. Damon drank human blood and he'd never been... like that.

I pushed my thoughts aside and focused on Stefan. "I've been worried about you. You wouldn't believe how much I..." I went to tell him about my fear of why he wasn't in school today, but thought it would simply torment him further. "I just... I missed you today. What about you? How are you doing?"

I walked over to him and rested his cheek in my palm wanting to feel physically reassured that he was still with me.

He closed his eyes and let loose a small smile, "Much better. I'm still...you know, a little uh... a little jittery, a little bit on edge, but uh..." It was clearly hard for him to voice his weaknesses and struggles. His eyes finally returned to mine and smiled a reassuring smile, "I'm going to be okay."

"I've been really worried about you."

"I just needed to lay low for a little while. Let my body readjust." He stood up and wrapped his arms around me, his eyes turning playfully mocking. "It's only been a few days."

I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck, pushing myself up onto my tippy-toes. "Feels like a life time."

I planted a soft kiss on his lips and pulled back.

His eyes bore into mine as his hand came behind and wove itself into the back of my hair. His lips pressed softly to mine again and I revelled in the sweetness of his touch, the feel of his lips and the way mine moulded to them.

Before I felt my feet give way, Stefan lifted me up and lay us down onto my bed. His lips became feverish and hot as I pressed myself closer to him. I heard a small groan escape him and felt him press me down further, holding his weight only slightly.

I was completely lost in the moment until my hands were slammed above me in a crushing force and Stefan's lips trailed down towards my neck. My enjoyment was quickly lost as Stefan's breathing came in short huffs and his fingers tightened around my wrists, shooting tremors of pain up my arm.

"...Stefan? Ow!"

His hand held but his breathing quickened as his kisses turned into something far more than hunger at my throat. My panic started to rise as I felt trapped beneath him, and a soft sound penetrated my ears.

Stefan pulled his face back to mine and what I saw caused me to let out a blood curdling scream. His fangs were out and his eyes were a blood red, staring down at me intently like predator to prey.

In hearing the first instant of my scream, Stefan shot himself backwards with blinding speeds, crashing into my lamp and shelving. Items clattered around him as he slowly began to morph back into his regular features.

Before I had time to act he raced out the window with the speeds of a bullet. I saw my fingers shaking violently as I held them close to my chest, my heart rate close to cardiac arrest.

I had just faced my nightmare. One that had only surfaced the first time I met him.

_What had happened to Stefan?_

...

Damon POV

My knuckles rapped on the door as I stood on Elena's porch. When she'd called me and asked to come over her voice shook slightly and I was outside her front door before she'd finished speaking. She didn't specify what she wanted, but the tone of her voice told me enough. My first instincts jumped to trouble yet as I reached her property my senses told me there was no immediate threat. Something had her rattled and I was calm and collected as she swung open the door.

As she stepped aside to let me in I kept my composure in check as I scanned her from head to toe. There was slight bruising on her wrists and she had the complexion of a corpse. In the kitchen at the end of the hall I could see Jeremy chewing on his cereal as he scanned a book in front of him. If something had happened in this house, I wouldn't doubt that the child would have been oblivious to what had gone on. Elena pressed her finger to her lips and then jutted her thumb over her shoulder towards the stairs.

"No Elena I will not go to your bedroom with you."

My obviously loud voice carried to Jeremy as he rolled his eyes. Elena's eyes fumed as she grabbed my arm and pulled me up the stairs behind her. I took each chance I got to stir things up.

I strolled ahead of her as she opened her bedroom door and slummed onto her bed. Resting my back against her headboard I picked up her stuffed teddy and set it on my lap. I'd never seen her cuddling the toy as she slept yet the way it was always positioned by her pillows told me it was sentimental to her past.

I scanned her room and let a smile spread across my lips, "Ah just how I remember."

"Stop messing around."

"Hey, did you know that your uncle has been kicking it with the Founders council?" I'd heard from Liz that Jonathan Gilbert wanted in with the secret plans to protect the town from Vampires, but I knew that his motives were his own.

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Perfect, we'll just add it to the growing list of how every things falling apart." I could sense her frustration and tiredness as she spoke, however there was also something else on her mind that had her stressed.

As she was speaking my eyes zeroed in on the demolition in the corner; the tipped over lamp and broken shelves irked my suspicion. I pointed with the soft toys paw towards the damage, "What happened right there?"

She turned her head towards it and I watched closely as she slightly tensed. "Uh... nothing."

She turned back towards me with shuttered eyes as I looked at her with a dubious look.

She sighed and pushed herself away from the ledge of her desk, walking towards me. "Look Damon, I... I'm worried about Stefan. He says that every things okay but he's clearly struggling. How long is it going to take before he's back to normal?"

I kept my casual composure, "A few days give or take."

My mind took me back to a few days ago where I'd found Stefan crouched in the corner surrounded by empty blood bags and draining another one. After all my pressuring and wishing of him to finally give in to his nature, who he's meant to be, I couldn't help but feel as though this was not a good thing. The scattered drained bags around the room were enough said that Stefan would not be in control of his true nature after this long of avoiding it.

Elena looked at me with worried eyes, "It's been a few days."

"Give then. I don't know. What's the big deal."

I got up off her bed and dropped the soft toy into her hands, "He's not himself, Damon."

I passed her and headed over to her chest of draws, shuffling through them. "Well maybe his problem is because he's spent too long _not_ being himself." I pulled out a lacy white bra and began picturing what she'd look like with that on.

She sighed in frustration and snatched it out of my hands, shut it back in the draw and spoke over her shoulder to me. "Please don't make me sorry for asking you."

"It is what it is, Elena." I reached over her shoulder and grabbed the photo of her in her cheerleading outfit that was stuck to the side of her mirror. I moved out of her reach before she could snatch it back, "The Stefan you know, this good behaviour Stefan. Reign it in Stefan. Fight against his nature to an annoyingly obsessive level... Stefan. But if you think that there's not another part to this, then you," She walked up close to me and I spoke in close to her, "Then you have not been paying attention."

She stepped close to me and snatched the picture out of my hand and took a step back, "He's not you. Not even close."

I chuckled under my breath. She was right about that, but not in the way she believed. "Well he's a wannabe me." I walked towards her keeping my eyes on hers, "That doesn't mean that he's not."

She held my eyes but a flash of fear flew across her features as she considered this. Although even though she knew I was right, that wasn't what triggered her response. What ever happened in this room caused her doubt and concern for Stefan's current actions.

...

Damon POV

Stefan Walked beside me up the stairs of the Lockwood Mansion dressed in a black tux slightly similar style to my own. He had been restless this afternoon since I'd come back from Elena's and he'd thrown back at least a third of the bourbon in the goblet. The cravings had begun.

As we waltzed into the reception of the house we both scanned the growing crowd of townsfolk. The alcohol had calmed his senses and he seemed to be in reasonable shape. He sighed and let his eyes scan the ceiling. "Oh God. I shouldn't be hear."

I let my eyes travel the length of Carol Lockwood's navy blue gown and moved onto another woman's physique as she passed me, "Come on, don't be a downer. It's a party for the founding families. That would be us." I gestured with my hand back and forth between the two of us. "Don't be rude, Stefan."

He looked at me watching and smiling to the passers by. "I really liked you a whole lot better when you hated everybody."

I kept my pleasant smile in place as I waved at Mayor Lockwood across the room, "Oh I still do. I just _love_ that they love me." I smiled towards Stefan then took in his antsy stature. "How you feeling by the way?"

"I'm good. I'm fine." He spoke quickly, brushing me off.

"No cravings? No urges? So all that drinking was just the usual Stefan job?" I smirked at him but silently I was prompting him to see if he really had cracked.

He laughed and looked at me with a hard smile.

I shrugged. "We are who we are, Stefan. Can't change that."

He smiled to the woman who passed him but spoke to me, "Oh nothing would make you happier right now than to see me give in, huh Damon?"

"Whatever its inevitable."

"I'm going to find Elena." He headed off into the crowd.

"Don't embarrass me young man." I pointed towards him in a fatherly demeanor as he turned back to me.

He shook his head and headed off into the crowd.

...

Elena POV

I walked past the large bouquet standing on the marble bench and headed into the slightly growing crowd of people in the living room. I spotted Stefan over near the drink stand and watched him as he put down an empty tumbler and turn towards me.

A sly smile spread across his lips and he waved me over. I couldn't help my uneasiness inside me swirl faster as I plastered on a smile and headed to him. How could he be so casual after the incident today?

He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me towards him, "Hey beautiful. How are you?"

He kissed my cheek and a large waft of alcohol assaulted my nose. I smiled a secret smile and looked at him indifferently. "Are you drunk?"

"Um... Okay, I know it's a little weird but I uh... the alcohol is helping me. It uh... takes the edge off." He seemed to radiate with a confidence that surprised me completely. I had never seen him like this. He was always brooding and serious or completely focused.

I grinned and narrowed my eyes at him. "You're totally that drunk high school guy at the party sneaking booze."

He closed his eyes and nodded. "I totally am, yeah."

"How worried do I need to be?"

"Oh no, you don't need to be worried. It's just until the cravings... go away."

I nodded but could tell that my doubt was evident on my face.

"Listen," He placed his hands on my shoulders, "I think we should enjoy it, while it lasts." He let go of my shoulders and held his hand out towards me. "Would you like to dance with me?"

His words sent my head in a spin. "You hate to dance. I usually have to beg you."

"No no. You have to beg the sober me. The drunk me there's no begging."

I eyed him suspiciously and turned to the crowd around us. "There's no one danceing." And the music was light jazz; not enough to start a moving crowd, yet enough to start intellectual chatter.

"That's because we need something better to dance to." He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear and headed over towards the band playing in the corner.

"Yeah, thats not going to work." I turned to the side and saw Aunt Jenna standing next to me. "I already tried to bribe him with twenty bucks and a date and he said that Carol Forbes is in complete and utter control of the music choice."

I turned back to where Stefan was talking to the lead band member and watched the mans face turn blank as Stefan visibly used compulsion on him.

"You'd be surprised what Stefan can do when he puts his mind to it." I didn't think Jenna would catch on to the hidden meaning in my words. I was really starting to grow suspicious of this new Stefan. He would never, ever use compulsion unless the situation was absolutely necessary.

The song turned into a popular upbeat tune and he turned towards me with his hand stretched out, waiting for him to join me.

I didn't know what to think. This was an unpredictable Stefan and there was a raging war in my gut on just how I was going to take all of this.

...

Damon POV

I walked into the lounge room and saw the crowd dancing and Stefan joining in. I stepped up to Elena's side and watched perplexed as the crowd moved about.

"Have I entered an alternate universe where Stefan is fun?"

I looked at Elena who locked her eyes with mine in silent concern. I shrugged and turned back to see Stefan spin Jenna into him and started dancing with her.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"Eventually. One way or another."

Stefan made his presence known and held his hand out to Elena. "Please dance with your alcoholic vampire boyfriend."

Elena's smiled as she grabbed his hand. Stefan spun her into him and she landed against his chest with a slight look of surprise on her face. I hadn't seen this Stefan in over one hundred and thirty years and by the look on Elena's face, she had never before witnessed this.

I watched them as she spun and twirled to the music as I stood on the side lines. All her inner turmoil seemed to evaporate the longer she danced with him, her feelings of unease disappearing each beat of the music. I hadn't seen her this carefree in a while and I had to stop myself on more than one occasion from being pulled towards her.

Stefan spun her away from him and she bumped into a man who was dancing near her. "Oh, sorry."

"Watch it." His tone was hard and I couldn't help the smirk that pulled at my lips at his obvious annoyance.

"My fault. I'm a bit of a clumsy dancer." Elena was unfazed by his tone.

He laughed then his face set into a hard line, and pointed towards the side wall. "Then get off the dance floor."

"Excuse me?"

I took a step forward about to make him realise how wrong it was for him to speak to her that way when Stefan stepped in front of him. "That's no way to talk to a lady."

The man made a dismissive sound and turned away, "Whatever."

I was about to follow the man out when Stefan's hand snatched out and held the man back, his pupils dilating. "I think you need to apologise."

I was curious as to what Stefan was doing and my feet remained glued to the floor. The man turned to Elena, fixed by Stefan's compulsion. "I'm sorry."

He let the man's arm go and watched him turn his back to walk away, then his arm snaked out again and wrenched him back towards them hard. "Now say it like you mean it."

The man's eyes fixed on Elena's frozen form. "I'm really, really sorry."

"Now walk away." Stefan shoved him a little too hard and sent him propelling off into a group of dancers who jolted about and turned to Stefan's slightly angered form.

My eyes narrowed in as Stefan touched Elena's cheek, "You okay?"

She simply nodded but I could sense her fear from here. This had been what she was worried about.

...

Elena POV

"Good to see you weren't verbally assaulted by the bad man in the dancing crowd." I turned to see Damon waltz towards me with smirk on his lips. I leaned back against the railing outside and breathed in a wave of chilled night air.

"What's happening to him Damon?"

"I already told you, and before you say anything, I stand by the whole give or take a few days. He'll be back to the old Stefan everyone loves and cherishes before no time."

I rolled my eyes towards him and let my head drop. I knew he was only repeating his words in an effort to reassure me but I could tell that he was just as suspicious as I was about the whole thing.

He nudged his shoulder to mine, "Come on, that Stefan in there was a whole lot better than the one you're used to. Admit it."

"With good comes bad. This good... I don't know what the catch is this time. But I'll have to accept it either way."

"Yes, however," He plucked a rose from the garden next to him and began twirling it between his finger tips. "Stefan has held back his natural urges for quite some time now. The last time I saw him like this, things didn't end up very pretty. If anything, I believe that he will get over this stature and mend his ways."

"Damon, you saw him in there. Don't tell me that he hasn't changed for the better."

"Let me finish. In light of that, he will need some time to do it by himself. Do not try to force him."

Damon had finally got what he wanted. The Stefan who had become the _normal _vampire. How could I expect him to want to help Stefan out of this? He was doing this for his own benefit, whether I fit into the equation or not. I let out a homerless laugh and pushed myself off the railing.

"Do you need a ride home?"

"Stefan's driving me." I gave him a nod in thanks and headed towards the edge of the porch.

"Elena."

I turned and found Damon in front of me. He presented me with the rose and waited until I took it from him. His voice was a whisper as he spoke. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

I was frozen for a moment locked in his piercing blue eyes. Involuntarily, my own darted to his lips as I realised how close we were standing. It was only a split second but it felt as though time had suddenly come to a halt. His breath fanned lightly across my lips as he chuckled and I stepped away from his sly smile as I turned my back, feeling his eyes on me the entire walk to the car.

...

As I headed over to the car I heard a soft gurgling sound and small pleading voice, "No please... please no."

I quickened my pace and went closer to the sound coming from around the back of the car. There hunched over the man on the dance floor was Stefan, his lips at the man's jugular drawing deeply. I froze stiff.

"...Stefan?"

A loud crack came from where they were and the man's head hung at an awkward angle before Stefan turned his crimson eyes and fangs towards me. My breathing came in ragged gulps as my heart speed about in my chest.

Stefan was on me in an instant, his hand clasped roughly over my mouth. "Shh, shh, shh... It's okay, it's okay."

My eyes were bugging out of my head in terror. This was not Stefan... and I was petrified for my safety.

"Don't scream." He lowered his hand from my mouth.

"What have you done?" I backed away from him towards the house, and spun and ran. Before I'd gotten two steps from him I was pinned down beneath a pile of bricks. The air went from my lungs and I was rolled over to face the now normal featured Stefan.

His hand pushed my hair out from my eyes and trailed down the side of my neck, his eyes panicked at my fear. I felt a slick wetness across my cheeks and neck and watched in terror as Stefan noticed it too.

His eyes left mine and followed the trail of wetness down from my cheeks to my neck, his breathing coming in in short. His features morphed into his vampire state and his fangs pushed down from his gums, exposing his predator inside.

Just as I let out a large scream his fangs sunk down painfully into the side of my neck.

...

Damon POV

As I headed back along the porch I saw Jonathan Gilbert heading out the front door. I jogged up beside him and step into pace with him. "John."

He turned towards me, "Damon. We didn't get a chance to meet before at the Council meeting."

"Yeah it's a pleasure. You enjoying the uh... kickoff?" Ever since he strode back into town I'd sensed something off about him. His timing and motives for the re-group with the council sent my senses on alert.

"Oh yeah. I forgot how fun these small town celebrations can be." His lips pulled into a smile but his eyes were hard; as were mine.

"When was the last time you were in town?"

"Oh it hasn't been that long. My brother's funeral. How long have you been in town?"

We had come to a halt just off the main path. "Oh not long at all."

We stood in silence for a moment sizing each other up.

"So what do you think, Damon? You know this vampire problem is real right? It's a potential blood bath."

I looked at him seriously, "Oh I wouldn't overreact, John."

"Oh I think it's like 1864 all over again. Vampires running a muck. Guess we're just going to have to hunt them down, throw 'em in a church, and burn them to ash."

I looked out towards the dispersing townsfolk, a hard smile on my lips, "That is the story."

"Part of the story." I could feel his eyes gauging my reaction.

I turned to his feigning ignorance, "Oh, there's more is there?"

"Oh there's a lot more. You see it seems as though there was a tomb under the church. The vampires were hidden away. Waiting for someone to come along and set them free."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. Just how did he know all this? My curiosity was irked.

"But then, you already knew that, didn't you? Meaning you're the one that did it."

I turned my eyes to his and saw his knowing look. "And you're telling me this why?"

A smile I wanted to smack off his face came to his lips, "Oh I just wanted to get the introductions out of the way."

"Oh well then, you would know that I could rip your throat out before anyone could notice."

"Yeah."

"Okay. But you probably already knew that and have vervain in your blood."

"Why don't you take a bite," our conversation was as casual as two men discussing the upcoming weather. "find out?"

I let out a small chuckle. "It's not worth my time." I walked away from him irritated beyond doubt. That arrogant son of a bitch. He knew what I was. He knew too much. With no further persuasion I spun around to see him smiling knowingly at me. I flashed in front of him and heard the satisfying sound of his neck breaking and watched him drop to the ground like a rock.

"Damon, what did you do?"

I turned to see Alaric Saltzman striding towards me, fury and worry etched into his history teacher features. He bent down to Jonathan's body and checked his neck.

I let out a sigh of impatience, "Relax Ric, the man was an informant leak. He knew who I was."

"So it's completely normal to simply kill him."

I shook my head in confusion, "What else could I do. Besides, he was a dick. If you ask me I did the world a favour."

Alaric stood up and brushed his hand over his face. Before he could say or do anything Jonathan's form stirred at our feet. I looked at his hand and saw the same dark stone ring that Alaric wore. "You have got to be kidding me."

"What?"

"Look at his hand. Look familiar?"

"Well, it looks like mine." I could see Alaric come up to speed.

"Yeah that would be a coincidence as I just killed him no more than _2minutes ago._ Where the hell did you get that ring?"

"Isobel."

Jonathan picked himself up from the grass and brushed his suit off. "Howdy Ric."

I looked at Jonathan with a hard and frustrated smile, "Going somewhere?"

"You going to kill me again, or you just going to let the history teacher do your dirty work for you?"

Alaric spoke in, "Okay so you obviously know who I am."

"Ah, Alaric Saltzman; the high school history teacher with a secret."

I caught his attention once again. "You sure know a lot for someone who just go to town."

He brushed past me and lent in close to my ear as he passed, "More than you can imagine, Damon." He got a few paces before he turned around, leaving a safe distance between us. "My knowledge goes beyond you or you or the council knows. So if you were planning on some clever high speed snatch ring heist vamp kill move, know that if I die all my knowledge goes to the council, Including a fascinating little story about the original Salvatore brothers, and their present day return to Mystic Falls."

Alaric took a step closer to Jonathan, "How did you get that ring?"

"I inherited one, my brother had the other. This," He held up his hand with the glimmering ring on it, "was his. Although I wouldn't have given mine to Isobel if I knew she was just going to hand it to another guy."

"So you did know her." I matched Alaric's step.

"Who do you think sent her your way when she wanted become a vampire."

"You sent her?"

"Guilty. Why do you think someone else sent her? Maybe Katherine Pierce?"

I felt my composure slightly lapse, "How do you know about Katherine?"

"How do I know anything Damon?"

I closed the distance between Jonathan and I, struggling to keep my hands from ripping his head off and burning it, to stop it from ever reconnecting. "What do you want?"

He smiled and shook his head in a patronising manner, "So many questions..." He turned his attention towards Alaric, "It was a pleasure meeting you Ric, I've heard so much about you." With a last smug look towards me he turned his back on the both of us as walked away.

Ric and I shared a silent conversation and with a quick nod, Ric was off and following after Jonathan. I wanted to know _exactly _what this bastard knew and where he knew it from.

I started heading towards my car when I heard Elena scream from a small distance away.

############################################# #################################

Please, Please Please Review.

Next chapter up shortly.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

Damon POV

I sprinted as fast as my legs could carry me and found a site I'd hoped to never see. Elena was pinned beneath a vampire, struggling for her life as her blood escaped the vampire's wanting lips down to the back of her neck. Without pausing I tackled the vampire off her and threw him into the side of a parked sedan. As I strode over to tear this guy a new one the vampire shook his head and looked up at me, causing my feet to falter.

I came to a halt and was glued to the blood soaked Stefan as he bared his fangs at me. His eyes were wild and on edge but as soon as they spotted Elena behind me all predator instincts vanished. His eyes darted back between the two of us in utter horror before he darted off into the trees.

Had I really just witnessed that? Stefan had definitely gone off the deep end.

I spun around and saw Elena's crumpled form on the pavement, blood still trickling from the open wound in her neck. I was pulling her close to me in less than a second and my wrist slashed open and to her lips faster than any human eyes could follow.

"Come on, Elena. Drink."

Her movements were weak and her lips barely moved as my blood flowed into her mouth. Still out of it, I lifted her and carried her over to my car in fast speeds trying to get her out of harm's way and anyone's sight. She stirred slightly as I sat her in the passenger seat. "Damon..."

I latched the seatbelt around her and looked up to her face. Her eyes were barely open and her hair was matted to her face from the blood. I brushed back the strands and waited for her eyes to open.

"Elena. Elena, look at me!"

Her eyes lifted until they could make out that it was me. "Damon." Her voice was scratchy and small, and it sent a sharp jolt of pain through me seeing her in this state.

"Stay with me, okay?"

She nodded slightly and I closed the door and jumped in the driver's seat. I should have taken her seriously when she said she was worried. Never would I think I'd see the day that Elena was injured by the hand of the savoir Stefan.

...

Elena POV

I woke to the soft touch of a wet cloth to my forehead, brushing tenderly along my skin. The sound of crackling fire seemed abnormally loud as my eyes adjusted to the dim light of the boarding house. Damon sat on the edge of the couch with a bowl of red tinged liquid resting on his knee, his hands brushing strokes across my forehead. His eyes found mine as he noticed I was awake.

He broke the eye contact and continued wiping the blood off my neck and face. "You might want to shower after I've finished up here, there's still some in your hair."

I winced as the last few moments I remembered sprang back into my mind. Stefan's crazed features as he attacked me. Damon carrying me gently then placing me in his car. I looked up at Damon as he continued to rid me of dried blood. "Th- Thankyou, Damon."

I couldn't believe I was thanking him from saving me from Stefan. I had no problem with being grateful towards Damon, but _Stefan_... _Stefan_ biting into my neck... _Stefan_ ravishing on my blood... I felt my eyes fill with tears before I could continue any further with thoughts.

Damon placed the cloth and bowl on the floor then gently combed his fingers through my hair, his eyes intent on mine. He seemed to be having an inner war with himself between anger and concern. "How you doing?"

"Physically I'm okay." I let out a humourless laugh, "You did warn me." Fresh tears rolled down my cheeks, escaping into my hair. Damon wiped them away and stroked his fingers across my cheek bones. "Where's Stefan?"

His composure only slightly faulted as I spoke but he answered with a reasonable voice, "Not here. Most likely beating himself up in a forest somewhere."

A sob escaped my throat and my hands came up to cover my face from him. How could someone I loved so deeply harm me like that? I didn't make sense. I had to help him through this. But I felt a strong urge to protect myself from him. Dare I stay away? Would he continue like this?

Had I completely lost Stefan?

... ... ...

Stefan POV

My hands shook as I stared down at them. The blood had stained into my pours even after I furiously washed them in the stream. What had I done? Had I really just attack Elena?

_Elena._

Was she okay? How much had I taken? The look on Damon's face as he noticed me was indescribable. It was almost slightly knowing before I'd taken off. I smashed my clenched fist into a nearby trunk, sending leaves in a whirl wind around me as they fell. What was wrong with me?

...

I hesitantly pushed open the front door of my home, not knowing if someone was home. If Damon was home. The first sight to catch my eyes was Elena, her head held in her hands at the edge of the couch. As the door opened her head snapped up.

My insides twisted and contorted into what I could only describe as stabbing pains as her face grew white with shock and she scrambled back further into the couch. I took a step towards my frightened love. "...Elena."

As hard as a wave from the ocean the smell of blood assaulted my nose. The aroma of crimson beauty flooded my senses and my eyes zeroed in on the soaked cloth and basin of my seduction. I felt my face contort into my natural features and my eyes clouded with a sheet of red.

_Blood._

I stalked towards the huddled and terrified woman cornered into the side of the couch. The fear simply made it that more enticing the closer I got. Everything surrounding me was sheeted in red but the bowl... oh that _bowl_... the bowl was a glowing beacon.

Something sharp speared into my back causing a blazing heat to scorch its way through my veins. It was as though I was being pumped with acid and my veins began to rot and shrivel the further it made its way through my body. I opened my mouth to scream but was so overwhelmed by the pain that only a gasp escaped my lips. I collapsed to the floor, the sight of red dispersing back to original colours. They last thing I was to see was a tear stained Elena terrified yet concerned running towards me as the blackness consumed me.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . ... . .

Even though I had physically blacked out it did not stop the sharp poison from assaulting my entire being. My dreams were filled with fire, my hallucinations were of pain and my body felt like boiled death. I tried begging for it to stop, but my lips would not move, my eyes did not open and my throat felt like a dirt road.

It was only after what I believed was weeks that my eyes fluttered open and the damp air of a cavern setting filled my aching lungs. The walls were sandstone and the floor was rough rock. I pushed myself up by my hands and felt the rough floor dig into my palms. Everything spun for a moment until I leaned back against the cold wall, trying to get my bearings. The bars on the far wrought iron door told me all I needed to know, yet I'd never expected myself to be the one behind them.

I was in the boarding house cellar cell.

Faint voices trailed down through the bars as my ears strained to hear clearer. "Damon, I need to see him. Move your arm."

"And I say, speaking from personal experience, its not safe. If he's still in the state he was in when he walked through the door then he'll be using everything he has in order to get out."

Damon was wrong. I wouldn't hurt Elena.

_You already have._

I wanted to rip out my heart as I thought back to what I had done to Elena. Except each time I thought back, all I saw was red. There was no Elena. It wasn't Elena I had attacked. Only afterwards when I'd been pulled away or triggered my senses did I see that what I had used as a bag of blood _was_ Elena. _She_ was the one I saw crumpled on the floor. _She_ was the one whose fear triggered a chase on the couch.

The thought of her blood again sent my fangs forth in my mouth and I clenched hard and took deep breaths to push it all away again. I would never harm her again.

"I don't care Damon I have to see him."

There was a silence before I heard anything else.

"Stay behind this side of the door."

Scuffled footsteps had my eyes snap to the barred window on the door until I saw dark waves of hair and wide brown eyes peer in at me. "Stefan?"

"Elena?"

She breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of my voice and I pushed myself further into the cell. I felt nothing but absolute disgust for myself and was ashamed to even be in her line of sight. How could she stand to see me let alone be near me after what I had done to her?

"Please go away."

"What?" She sounded like she didn't hear me clearly.

I spoke louder and slower so my words were clear. "Go away. I don't want to see you."

"Stefan it's okay. I'm not going anywhere. I won't leave you. I know you didn't mean to hurt me. I _know_ you." Her words sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than me.

"Did you not hear me? I. Don't. Want. To. See. You." I would do everything I could not to repeat what I'd done. She was safe on the other side while I deserved to rot behind here. Hell I deserved to be burned and forgotten. At that moment I wanted nothing more than Damon to end me, slow and painfully. Only then would I face judgement.

"Stefan stop it. Snap out of it. I know its you in there."

My anger replaced my torment. "Is it _really_ me, Elena? How can you tell? I might still want your blood."

Before I finished my words I slammed into the bars and let my fangs push out from my gums, baring them at her as my eyes sheeted with red.

Even though I'd accomplished my goal of frightening her and making her back away from the cell, my instincts had kicked in and I saw nothing but blood in a meat suit. Blood I'd already tasted and become hooked on only a few days ago. A small part of my mind sent me thoughts that I didn't push away.

_Why have you waited until now to taste it?_

Another face appeared in front of the bars, blocking the blood bag from my view. "Stefan, breathe."

I slowly registered Damon's features and worked to make my breathing slow and my eyes regain normalcy. Eventually it worked and I saw nothing but Damon's determination etched into his features. Rage boiled inside me as I took him in. He finally got what he wanted. I was exactly like him.

"Damn you Damon." My voice was a whisper but held as much venom as I could muster up. "Are you happy now, brother? Are you happy to see me locked away, out of control... the mirror image of you."

Damon chuckled darkly, "Oh I'm nothing like you, little brother. Everything that has happened is one you. All because you reigned it in all these years. However forgive me for not finding happiness in seeing my brother torment the love of his life."

I pushed myself away from the bars and moved towards the dark damp corner, resting my head against the wall. I felt his eyes on me as I moved but I was no threat behind bars. I knew Damon was doing what he only knew best, and so would have I. As long as Elena was out of harms way I was free from anxiety. As long as she was out of my reach, she would be okay.

_I am so sorry Elena._

... ... ... ... ... ... ... . ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .

Elena POV

A few days had past and I had returned everyday for hours on end just to simply sit outside the cell and listen to Stefan's steady breathing. I peered over the barred window and heard steps behind me. I turned to see Damon leaning against the stone wall then let my gaze fall back onto Stefan's sleeping form.

"It's so hard to see him locked up like this."

"You're the one who locked him up."

I sent him a look over my shoulder, "You helped."

"I couldn't have him running around chewing on people when the towns looking for vampires, now could I?" He gave me a hard smile.

"And it had nothing to do with you actually _caring_ about him?" I looked at him with a dubious look.

He rolled his eyes "Your thing, not mine." He pushed off the wall and headed up the stairs.

With one last look towards Stefan I reluctantly pulled myself away from the door and headed up the stairs after Damon. I found him near the cabinet in the living room pouring himself a scotch. He heard me walk into the room but did not turn away from his drink. "Have you spoken to your uncle lately?"

"I've been avoiding him, actually. And I've been here most nights."

"So you'll be here again tonight?"

I eyed the back of his head. "Yes, is that a problem?"

He turned around his eyes sincere, "Yes, you're a complete nuisance."

I breathed out a laugh and watched him grin. I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked towards the door. "I'll see you later."

... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Damon POV

I trudged down the stairs with the full bottle of squirrel blood. The thing made me gag as I chased its fury behind through the trees, but once I caught it and kept my stomach level I knew I was doing this for not only Elena but Stefan also. I rested it on the bars of the cell Stefan was locked in and looked at his still form.

"Brought you something to eat." Stefan didn't budge, "One hundred percent 'Stefan Diet' approval."

He didn't even lift his head. He simply sat there with his head hanging down and his arms crossed across his knees.

"You know what'll happen if you don't eat. You'll get all rotted and crusted."

His voice was no louder than a mumur, "I'm not hungry."

I scoffed, "Course you are. We're eternally hungry. Take it."

He still remained as if he was a statue.

My patience was wearing thin. "The human blood should have left your system by now. You want to explain why your still in here feeling sorry for yourself?"

Nothing.

"Come on. Drink up." I pushed the bottle off the ledge and watched it land a foot away from him.

He merely raised his head towards the blood filled bottle and dropped his head once again.

"Fine, starve. What do I care?" Why did I care? It was his life. I pushed away from the cell door.

"I hurt her Damon." His voice was as soft as it was before. Irking my curiosity, I stepped back towards the door to find him just as I'd left him. "No, it's more than that. I attacked her. _Her_, Damon. I could have killed her."

"Don't beat yourself up about it. She's been here watching over you every day, hasn't she?" Elena was exceedingly persistent with Stefan's return to good health these last couple of days, I thought she would have been climbing the walls by now.

"I don't deserve her, Damon."

"Well Stefan, she doesn't deserve this. So get up off your ass, drink the fury blood, and control yourself." I kept my composure in place but I felt like throttling his neck through the bars.

He just remained as he was. I sighed, "Whatever." And walked back towards the stairs.

... ... ... ... ...

Elena POV

School had been a complete drain, and even though I knew Stefan was still overcoming his demons, each time someone walked into the classroom I couldn't stop my eyes from searching for his face. My back had began to ache after the amount of times I slumped back into my chair.

I dialled Damon's number after school and began packing different clothing for the night.

"What?"

"I'm just grabbing some clothes then I'll be right over. How's Stefan?"

"Extra broody."

I sighed into the phone. Clearly I was going to be expecting the same push away Stefan when I reached the boarding house.

"He won't eat anything." His tone was light but I could tell that Damon was just as concerned about Stefan's situation as I was.

"He has to eat. What's his favourite kind of uh..."

"...Favourite kind of what?" I could sense Damon's smirk through the phone at my uneasiness.

"type of animal blood that he prefers?" I could hear the ick seeping through into my words as I spoke down the phone.

"Ew, gross." His chuckle sent my eyes rolling up to the ceiling.

"Your joking doesn't help."

"Helps me. Now hurry up I haven't got all night. I've got things to do."

"I would say 'drop dead' but..."

"Hilarious. Stefan likes... puppy blood. Little golden retriever ones, cute floppy ears. That's his favourite."

A knock at my bedroom door sounded just as I hung up on Damon's laughter echoing down the phone. I slung my bag over my shoulder and pulled the door open. John walked in without an invite and began looking about my room.

"Uh... I'm just on my way out, John."

"This will only take a second." He spun around and sized me up. I felt small underneath his scrutiny. "We haven't had much of a chance to catch up lately."

"Well what did you want to talk about?"

"I know you know."

"Know what?"

"It's really silly to keep pretending. What do you think your mother would say about you dating a vampire?"

I was instantly shocked but then it vanished into something more sinister. I'd never liked John and his business in my life was not welcome, especially regarding what sounded like a silent threat to expose Stefan and Damon's secret. A bitter taste formed in the back of my mouth as I spat my words back at him. "Which mother?"

His eyes narrowed but he didn't try to stop me as I left.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Elena POV

"How you feeling?" I didn't expect a response from him as I peered through the bars at his still form. I looked down at the still untouched bottle of blood no more than a foot away from him.

"Damon says you need to drink that. You won't survive without it."

His head snapped up and his eyes connected with mine, "I don't want to survive."

"What? No don't say that."

"I'm sorry, Elena. No more. After what I've done. What I did to you? Inexcusable. It has to end... I just want it over."

I felt my heart come to a halt and my breath stutter as I processed his words. He wanted to die?

"Now, please... just go away. At least let me suffer in peace."

Shocked and slightly terrified of his words I pushed away from the bars and slowly put one foot in front of the other up the stairs.

"You know his just been dramatic. He's not going to be able to starve himself."

Damon was sitting down on the back of the couch watching me as I walked into the living room. I slumped down on the other side of the couch and rested my forehead on my hand. I was completely drained from these last few days and it had begun to take its toll on me.

"Why would he say that?"

"He feels bad about hurting you. Feels bad about drinking human blood. It's very typical Stefan martyr stuff. It'll pass."

"Will it?" I wasn't so sure this time. Each night had had nightmares, each one more horrible than the last. Stefan pinning me down, forcefully taking my blood, and his eyes... his deep red eyes full of power lust and hunger. I didn't know how I would be if he even came out of this. Would I still be able to let him touch me without flinching?

"Yeah well, that'll pass too, once he _eats_."

"He just seems to be in a lot of pain."

"As well will that pass."

"I didn't mean physical pain."

"I know what you meant." His eyes bore into mine and I saw that he knew exactly what I meant and was on the same level as me with all of it. I felt like I had really come to trust Damon. Even with my life.

"Look, you going to be okay if I go out? I need to run an errand with the history teacher."

"The teacher? Alaric?" He rolled his eyes and nodded, giving me a grim look. "Are you too friends now?"

"I don't have any friends, Elena."

"...right." Damon did have friends. He had me, but he was not going to own up to 'friendship' with anyone anytime soon. It went against the book of Damon.

He jumped off the couch and donned his jacket, his eyes never meeting mine as he spoke. "You should... You should stay up here. You shouldn't be down there by yourself."

I felt like a petulant child as I retorted, "I'll be fine."

He looked at me dead on, "You know, you're very trusting of him, given the circumstances." He turned and headed towards the front door.

"So are you." He turned his head to the side and stopped. "Otherwise you wouldn't be leaving.

"I'll be back. Won't be long."


	3. Chapter 3

Latest Chapter up. Hope you like it. Please let me know you thoughts and opinions. - I DO NOT OWN THE VAMPIRE DIARIES

Chapter 3

Damon POV

"Nice place... for a dick."

Alaric and I walked up the path to 71 Penate drive, Groves Hill. The shades were drawn and their was a single light on near the front room. I could hear movement coming fom inside and narrowed it down to only one occupant.

"If things get tricky I may or may not be able to get in."

Alaric pulled out a set of fine lock pickers and set to work on the door. He spoke over his shoulder at me. "Yeah, how does that work? You always have to be invited in?"

"By the owner or person of entitlement. Few grey areas with hotels and cabins and what not. Kind of got to play it by ear. Oh, move out of the way." My patience had worn thin and Alaric was taking too long. I clenched the door knob and twisted, crushing the locks inside until they broke away with ease. I swung the door open and went to step over the threshold.

I came up against the invisible wall that had been mocking me for a century and a half. Alaric walked in front of me with ease. "I thought you said this house wasn't owned by anyone?"

"It's not. It's empty but that doesn't mean I don't need to be invited in." I gave him a hard smile and waited until he spoke the magic words.

A sly smile curled at the edge of his lips, potential smirk approaching. "So, ah..." He was relishing in the powerful moment of control of my entry. Another reason why I would have happily murdered him again.

"Ric, I will rip that finger off and shove it up your ass and kill you a thousand times over."

"Come in."

I smacked the back of his head and watched in satisfaction as he looked back at me with pure annoyance. "Is that how you act on a first date, Ric? No wonder you're still single."

The house was John's squatting territory. No one, not even the Council had been informed of his staying area since his return to town, which made it all the more easier with damage control for me. There was movement in the kitchen at the end of the hall way and Alaric and I moved closer towards it.

As soon as we got there I grabbed John, who had been washing dishes in the sink, and spun him around to face us.

"Damon." His voice was calm as if he';d been expecting us sooner or later.

"John." I heard his wrist snap in various places before I tore his finger off with the ring on it. His yell echoed throughout the house as his hand covered the bench in blood. I eyed the finger with disgust and pulled the ring off, ignoring the lure of the vervain filled blood. That at least ruled out one way to kill the bastard.

"We're going to ask you a few questions," I bent down to his huddled form on the floor with a smirk pulled across my lips, "If you behave, I'll kill you quick. If not..." I stepped down hard on his shin and felt the bones crush beneath my boot, his yell just as pained as the loss of his finger.

"What do you want?"

Alaric stepped forward. "Where's Isobel?"

He let out a gurgled laugh and continued to nurse his injuries. "Isobel? She left you to become a vampire, Ric. Do you really think she's going to want you back?"

I lifted by foot again, hovering above his other leg.

"Wait, wait. Philadelphia. That was the last place I saw her. Honest."

"And what do you know of Katherine?"

"God, you boys are two peas in a pod, you know that? Both of your women leave you and you're still messed up about it. One of you, for more than a century."

I fought the urge to rip his head off then and there.

"Katherine's around. She'll show when she wants to. Until then, you're all just ploys in her game. She told me herself Damon; she knows you're here... she doesn't care."

I gave him a hard smile and snapped his neck before I tore it off and threw it in the corner. Alaric stumbled back a bit in shock of my bluntness before he composed himself.

I pocketed the ring. "Find some matches. No one wants to live in a deceased estate."

... ... ... ... ... ... ...

I paced back and forth in front of Stefan's cell, frustrated completely by his stubborn attitude. I'd come down here hoping to have seen an empty blood stained bottle, yet it still remained untouched near his feet. I peered through the bars at him , but before I could speak a cruel smile played across his lips. "You know, Damon hasn't fed me in a while. I could be at those bars and at your neck in less time it would take you to blink."

I wasn't buying it. "Yeah, you could. But you won't."

He looked directly into my eyes. "Please just go away. I don't _want_ you here."

Enough of this. I gave him a hard look then threw open the stiff lock with more force than necessary. His eyes snapped up as I strolled casually into the room, growing panic flooding his features. "What are you doing? Get out of here!"  
I bent down and snatched up the bottled blood, holding it towards him. "You need to drink this."

"You're taking a stupid risk by being in here. I could hurt you." His eyes were hard but the fear for my safety was winning the war as he struggled with himself.

"Then I'm stupid." I knew who he was and it wasn't this person. Damon was right. The human blood had left his system and his brooding was self inflicted. Nothing was persuading him or forcing him to do anything. Nothing but his damn morals.

"Elena, get out of here or you'll regret it." His anger seeped into his words as his shoulder's began to shake with rage.

I stood my ground. "Drink."

He was on me in a second, pinned back against the stone wall, the blood knocked out of my hand and across the room. "I said GET OUT!"

My bravado was long forgotten as his fangs pushed their way out, his eyes turning the shade of a demon. All the events came swarming back faster than I could form words, and my nightmares made themselves known as I relieved each of my attacks. His eyes were intent on mine, but continued to flash down to my throat. The cruel smile made itself known again as he saw my re-surfacing fear.

I swallowed back hard and began settling my breaths. With each rise and fall of my chest, I regained my confidence, only enraging the wild Stefan even further. _He's not going to hurt me. He's not going to hurt me. He's not going to hurt me._

I knew I was only trying to convince myself but it felt futile.

At the same moment that Stefan seemed to slightly shift away I was yanked by my arm out of the cell, the door echoing loudly as it slammed shut. Damon stood solid at the cell door with his back to me as he slid the lock in place.

"No, Damon. You have it all wrong. Stefan was-

"Forgive me for saving your ass from a blood crazed vampire, who was standing only a breath away from your neck." His breathing was hard and matched his barely restrained anger as he spoke.

"He's wasn't going to hurt me, Damon." My voice was a mere whisper, slightly unsure if believed my words.

He spun and headed for the stairs without a glance towards me. I followed after him stumbling slightly on the rough floors. I followed him into the living room before he spun on me, fury radiating off him in waves. "I thought I told you to stay on this side of the door."

My anger matched his as he spoke down to me. "He wasn't going to do anything."

"Really, you sure about that? I could taste your fear in the air the moment I opened the front door, Elena. Tell me that you weren't afraid of your neck being torn open, _again_."

I dropped my gaze from his, knowing he was right.

His words came out softer but still marred with anger. "I won't see that happen to you again."

I sagged my shoulders and walked over to the couch. There was no way I could convince him otherwise of what _might_ have happened down there. His words had put an end to our argument. _For now_.

I heard a clinking of glasses before he came over and lifted my feet easily with one hand, sitting himself on the couch before placing my feet in his lap. "Other than coming up against a blank wall against Mr Righteous, you're still here."

"Were you expecting anything else?"

His hand began to draw lazy swirls on my ankles as he spoke, "No."

"So, how was your 'errand'?"

"How angry would you be if your uncle suddenly... disappeared?"

I eyed him for a moment, waiting for an explanation before I actually considered it. "Relieved. Why?"

His lips quirked before he responded. "I may or may not have killed him in order to get information from him." He paused with his drawing on my legs and looked across at me.

I could feel the shock layered on my face but... did it really affect me that John was dead? It didn't and I knew that as soon as it penetrated my ears, but Damon's bluntness of simply killing him had me coming up blank. I had begun to believe that his days of senseless killings were behind him, and that he asked questions first. However I knew deep down that he wouldn't have done it unless there was no other alternative.

"Was it really necessary?"

My calmed voice surprise the both of us as Damon eyed me curiously before a smile curled at the edges of his lips. "I didn't see any other options, no."

A sudden sense of relief washed over me causing me to feel weightless. John was really gone. He knew everything about the world that I had managed to hide from everyone for the better and had threatened to expose it... Now the fear was gone. It almost didn't seem real, even the way Damon and I were talking about it so casually.

"I take it from your moment of euphoria that you're not overly depressed by the matter." Damon's hand continued small strokes up and down my leg.

I let a rueful smile take form on my lips, "Well, just because he's blood, doesn't make him family. Everything he did was off and he brought nothing but pain and chaos back into this town when he returned." Curiosity morphed my face into one of question. "What information were you looking for?"

He lifted my legs up and got up from the couch, his eyes never meeting mine as he spoke. "Just wanted to know who his sources were, and his knowledge of Isobel... and Katherine."

His words were casual and vague, but I could sense the anguish it caused him when it came to the matters of Katherine. The knowledge of her never being in the tomb hung over him like a dark cloud, and I couldn't bear to see him this tormented.

I pushed myself off the couch, "Damon-

"I'm fine, Elena." He kept his back to me and went to walk out of the room, trying to end our conversation once again.

As I reached him I grabbed his arm and turned him to me, seeing his face carved from stone, making sure he kept his emotions at bay. "Talk to me, Damon." I kept my hand on his arm and slightly moved closer to him, my eyes intent on his.

They searched mine for a moment and I watched for a fleeting moment as his wall crumbled, letting his raw emotions expose themselves. I reached my hand up to touch his cheek when the wall slammed back into place, his face masked again with a blank determination.

I sighed and let my hand drop from his arm. I wanted him to open up to me. I wanted him to have someone to talk to, since he clearly didn't admit to having any friends and he genuinely enjoyed bottling up his feelings. Katherine was a touchy subject, however my concern for Damon shook me to the core on what would happen to him if he saw her.

I did not want to lose him.

"Elena, you're already on a mission to save one of the Salvatore brothers and look how that's turned out. Don't make the mistake of thinking you can help both."

"Why do you treat people this way?"

He leaned in close, letting his breath fan across my lips and curl into a smile, "Because it's fun."

I wasn't fazed by his attempt of typical Damon defence. "You mean, because it's easier than the alternative. You know, actually caring."

His smile faded slightly and with a smug look from my behalf I watched him turn his back and walk away from me, essentially letting me win the argument.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Elena POV

Once again I was outside Stefan's cell. It had been a few days since the grand opening of the cell door, and Damon had made sure that I obey his words by remaining on the safe side of the door. He hadn't spoken more than a few words to me since our last conversation and I didn't expect anything less from him.

Stefan on the other hand was looking more withered than I'd ever seen him. His body reminded me of the mummified tomb vampires I'd seen whilst getting both brother's out. His skin was a light grey and hugged his bones like a man had been starved for months rather than weeks. I had walked away many of the days with tears brimming my eyes at the sight of him and his unrelenting stubbornness. It was utterly useless.

I tried talking to him on more than one occasion and only today did he finally speak back. "Talk to me, Stefan. Why are you doing this?"

"I'm making the decision I should have made years ago."

"What are you talking about?" I tried not to let my eagerness reveal itself as I pressed my forehead to the bars. He was finally speaking to me.

"You have to feed in order to complete the transition."

"I know that."

"It was a choice I shouldn't have made." He was silent for a moment as I thought about what that must have been like for him. "How can you even look at me?"

My hands came up and curled themselves around the bars. "We need to be able to talk about these things, Stefan. I need to hear them. Drink the blood and come upstairs. We can talk about this some more."

I wanted him out of there. I was prepared to do anything to get him back to me. He bowed his head and didn't speak another word. I hated seeing all this pent up guilt take control over him. I loved him because of who he was, his morals, and his pureness. However the further he went down this road, who he is, his pure heart and even his morals faded further into darkness, leaving behind only the pain and guilt causing him to further suffer. I finally resigned myself from the iron bars and trudged up the stairs I climbed numerous times each day.

I saw Damon reading a book in the study and flopped down in a chair across from him. He kept his eyes on his book as I scanned the ceiling length shelves cluttered with old bindings. "Stefan eaten yet?"

"I thought you didn't care."

"Chalk it up to morbid curiosity." He dropped the book into his lap and looked at me intrigued.

I thought over it. "He's getting there. He's spoken to me, at least. But he's got a lot of guilt that he has to deal with... it doesn't help that you've spent the last one hundred and forty-five years punishing him for Katherine getting caught."

His eyebrows rose in slight confusion, "This is my fault now?"

"No, it's no one's fault, Damon. I'm just saying you're not exactly innocent." His eyes narrowed and his jaw slightly hung open in protest. "You've made it your life's mission to make him miserable."

He leaned forward in his chair, slight protest raging inside him with questioning eyes aimed at me. "Let me ask you a question. In all this important 'soul searching' and cleansing of the demons in Stefan's past, did you ever manage to hear the rest of the story?"

"Just that he should never have turned. I assumed there's more."

"Yeah, that's an _understatement_."

...

_1864_

_ The quarry was still and cold as the night, no animals disturbing the dark silence that had settled long before the sun drifted down. There was nothing without her, nothing in the next life. She was gone and I was what was left. This had all been for her, and for what? So I could see her being carted off to be burned? No. I would not see this through. I sat the waiting for the end to finally take me, and I kept my fear silent as I waited for it to end. Dying was my only option... the fear of it was inevitable._

_ A noise of rustling bushes sounded from behind me and I turned my fearful eyes and saw that Stefan was no longer alone. Unya, Mr Balakavis daughter was walking in a trance beside Stefan. He had an excited look on his face as his eyes glowed with brilliancy, his arm tightly around Unya's shoulder as they approached me._

_ "What are you doing? Why is Miss Balakavis here?"_

_ He gestured to her, "I brought her for you. She's a gift. He looked into her eyes intently, "Have a seat, please." She sat down with her back to me and let the moonlight bring her body out of the shadows. _

_ My breath caught as I saw the gaping wound seeping with blood on her neck. Her clothes were stained where it had escaped onto and I felt instant repulsion at the sight. I looked back at Stefan who waited expectantly for me to do something._

_ "What have you done, Stefan?"_

_ "Damon, listen. I went to see father, he came at me. I didn't know my own strength... there was blood everywhere, he was dying. The blood was too strong. I _needed_ it. I had to have it."_

_ I felt anger slowly surfacing itself as I processed what he'd done. "You've fed."_

_ "Yes," His eyes lit up with pure excitement as though I'd realised one of life's great mysteries. "And it's incredible. My body is exploding with power, Damon."_

_ "No..." It painful listening to his words. I heard nothing of his so called brilliancy of his new findings, all I wanted was for it to end. He had fed, and now he'd finally turned... just like Emily said._

_ He continued on, eager to persuade me, "I can hear things from far away, I can see through the darkness," He came up close to my sullen form, "I can move like it's _magic._ And the guilt? The pain? Damon, I can turn it off like a _switch." _He clicked his fingers for emphasis. "Katherine was right, it's a whole other world out there."_

_ I eyed him with betrayal and pulled myself up, "Katherine is dead, Stefan. There's no world without her."_

_ Stefan grabbed me tightly locking my face to his, giving me no escape. His eyes pleading and earnest. "You can turn that off too. You don't have to feel that pain anymore."_

_ I tried to unhinge his unrelenting hold on me, "I don't want to."_

_ He easily held me, "You're weak. You'll be dead soon." He shook me hard, "You _need_ this!... You'll die."_

_ I felt my resistance failing as I looked at my brother helplessly, "No, I can't."_

_ He gestured for Unya to stand and come towards us. She did without so much as recognition or question and stood before me, her eyes glazed over with an odd smile on her rose lips. Stefan turned back to me and I watched slightly feared as fangs poked down near his teeth, his eyes morph into something I'd only seen on Katherine. A slightly hysterical look was about him as he showed me how easily it was to drink human blood. _

_ His teeth sank down and he began to draw in pulls of blood from the wound. Frozen as ice, I watched as blood trickled down his chin as he gestured to the open wound on Unya's neck. My struggles weakened under his strength and the situation turned from one of fighting Stefan to being pulled towards the mouth aching aroma of the blood. _

_ Tentatively I parted my lips and placed them lightly on her drenched neck, closing over the wound. At first it was the horrible taste of metal and rust but as soon as the first drop hit the back of my mouth, it was like tasting a sweet dark honey that seemed to fill me entirely with pure need and a hunger I couldn't understand. _

_ I dropped my lips and felt my teeth begin to sharply shift. It felt as though a blade had pushed its way from my gums and rooted themselves in place. The skin around my eyes began to move as my eyes glazed over in a haze of red. All I saw was the glowing lure of Unya's blood, and I sank my newly acquired fangs deep into her neck and drew heavily, wanting the only thing that seemed to ease this new thirst._

_..._

Elena POV

"From the moment Stefan tasted Human Blood, he was a whole different person."

I sat stunned in the high back leather chair in the study, watching and listening profoundly to Damon's words. He had gotten up and poured himself a drink and continued with the breezy and carefree attitude as he told the story. I was so transfixed by his words that I had only barely noticed that this would have taken a toll on Damon, and his casual bravado was definitely keeping things at bay.

"I suppose I should thank him, it's been one hell of a ride." His signature smirk came to his lips a moment before he downed the remains of his scotch.

"He said he wanted to die. That's why he's not feeding. Now I understand why but..."

"His choice. If you're stupid enough to make it, so be it."

I stood up from my chair, feeling my frustration spike. "Don't do that." He looked at me with confused eyes, "Don't pretend that you don't care." Every time, it was like coming up against a blank wall. Damon would give me sneak peeks at what he truly felt on rare occasions and then others, he'd hold out on me. I understood why and his reasons for it, but I'd thought he'd come further than trying to use his uncaring persona on me to try and cover up that I _knew_ he cared for his brother. I left him with his empty glass and headed towards the front door.

... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Damon POV

I stood outside the cell door for a while after Elena had left. It had me angry and hostile when she'd left knowing that she assumed this entire thing was my fault. These were Stefan's demons not mine. The guilt he felt was brought up by him. He was the one who was pathetic enough to going on some martyr mission based on some life crisis.

I peered through the bars at him. "Little boy lost."

He kept his head down as I looked him over. His body had begun the rotting process and it wouldn't be long before his veins withered and began to rub together like sawdust. Only an idiot would try a noble and feeble attempt of starving themselves, which fitted Stefan's personality to the point.

"Thank you for keeping her away lately. I don't know how she can stand to be near me."

"Pushing her away is only going to make her more persistent the next time. The only way out of this is that bottle. Drink it or don't drink it, either way I don't want you rotting away a floor below me... it's starting to smell."

A grim smile touched his lips but he kept silent.

"You brood too much. Nice little half story by the way, brother. I especially like the part about all the guilt that has been coiled up inside for all these years. Everything on this planet is not your fault." I could feel my frustration and anger balling up and revealing itself in my voice.

Stefan's head lifted up and looked at me with his ears eating each word.

"My actions, what I do, is not your fault. _I_ own them. They belong to _me_. You're not allowed to feel my guilt."

"Do you feel guilt?"

I shrugged, "If I wanted to... it's there."

He nodded and pondered my words in his head. I thought back to our transition.

"Do you know that Emily waited until after I turned that she'd been successful in protecting Katherine with her spell? She didn't want me to know about the tomb. She thought it would impact my decision."

"Emily didn't want either one of us to turn. She said it was a curse. She was right."

I ignored his last words, "Witches, judgy little things."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I had kept the secret of Katherine's survival to myself until last month when I used his help to crack open the tomb.

"Because I didn't want you to know. Because I hated you, and I still do."

"I know." He nodded and immediately assumed it was because of my vow of an enternity of misery because he turned me.

"Not because you forced me to turn."

That had not been what he expected, however his curiosity was fading. "Then why?"

I looked him dead in the eye. "Because she turned _you_. It was just suppose to be me, Stefan... Just me."

Somewhere within him he already knew this. He had been the constant reminder throughout my long life that the woman I died for did not only have eyes for me. It also enraged me further to know that he had been able to continue on without her, with ease, as well as the fact that he was willing to die when he has someone more powerfully beautiful and amazing than Katherine ever was, begging at his self imposed cell to stay alive.

He was taking his entire life for granted all because of some slightly painful memories.

"Stefan, you know deep down inside yourself that you're being a self-imposed pathetic drama queen. Elena is spending every waking moment trying to connect with you and help you out of, whatever you want to call it, and you're willing to kill yourself. Be a man, get cleaned up, and mend your errors. Elena doesn't deserve to be in love with a guy whose willing to end his one opportunity to be happy over past problems."

I slid open the lock and swung the door open, kicking the forgotten bottle of blood into his lap. "There's more animal blood outside the door. Come upstairs when you've finished it."

I walked out and left Stefan to make his choice. It took only twenty minutes for him to walk into the living room when I was mid pour of a scotch. His transformation was back to how I'd seen him last week; no more grey decrepit mummy skin with hollow eyes, however there was still a slight haunt simmering below the surface.

"Thank you, Damon."

"No, Stefan, thank you. You're back on Bambi blood and I'm the big badass brother again. All is right within the world." I gave him a hard smile and lifted the glass to my lips.

"No I mean it... Thank you." A small smile touched his lips. "You were right."

"Stefan, I'm always right. Without doubt. Just one thing though..." I flashed in front of him in an instant, my sarcasm and humour vanished. "Just know that if it comes to this again, I will let you go through with your martyr missions. If her blood is spilt at your hand... there won't be anyone to stop you from carrying out your death."

############################## ######################### ##########################

Has Stefan really gotten over his Hunger lust for Human blood?

Next chapter up soon.

Please Review. Criticism is appreciated as I need to find the faults in my writing.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Elena POV

The rain pelted down hard against the classroom windows as I tuned in and out of Mr Alaric's lesson. His words sounded jumbled as I tried to understand what topic we were discussing but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't keep my thoughts focused on anything but Stefan.

"Sorry I'm late."

My head snapped up so quickly to the sound of that melodic voice as he entered the classroom with drops of rain dripping from his jacket and hair. His eyes found mine and his smile stretched as he saw my longing eyes.

After a few murmured words from Alaric and a fleeting glance to me, Stefan sat down next to me. Keeping his eyes to the front of the classroom to feign interest, his hand found mine under my desk. I felt instant relief as his fingers locked with mine and squeezed gently. Was I dreaming?

Class came to an agonising end and I was finally in Stefan's arms outside the classroom. I breathed in his scent as I clung to his chest and his arms wrapped around me like a cocoon.

I pulled back and searched his face. "You're here."

"I'm here."

For the rest of the day no one could keep me away from Stefan. My classes flashed by and I was greeted at each door by Stefan, proving that it was real. That he was back at school. His blood crazed days over. I fell asleep in Stefan's arms in my bed and finally greeted sleep with ease.

My dreams however, were ones I had never had before. Knives stabbing continuously into my neck, my body immobile as my head screamed in pain. It felt like I was trapped for days, stuck in the endless torture. Each stabbed was like thick needles laced with acid.

I woke groggily to find my eyes brimming with tears and my sheets damp with sweat. I reached around to search for Stefan but he was nowhere in sight.

I stretched my aching body and headed into the bathroom. The first sight to reassure myself was my smooth, intact neck. I looked like a corpse. My skin was shallow, holding a tinge of greyish paleness to it, and there were large bags underneath my eyes. My hair was in stringy lumps as I hung heavily from my head. There was no physical damage of my dream actually happening but something stirred deep within me that some part of last night felt horribly real.

Pulling on my clothes I dialled Stefan's phone. It rang out and sounded a beep, indicating voicemail. "Hey, it's me. Give me a call when you get this."

As I pressed the end button I instantly wondered why I hadn't said 'I love you'. Each time I left Stefan a message I always ended it with those three words. I shook my head. Maybe I was just tired.

* * *

Damon POV

"Morning brother."

Stefan almost bounded right into me as he descended the stairs with a bounce in his foot. I expected him to take more time to adjust to his overcome of guilt, it seems I was wrong. "And good morning to you too, Stefan. Good night I take it?"

A chuckle escaped his lips as he threw himself onto the couch, "Oh, you have no idea, brother."

I felt my teeth clench behind my smile at him. It was hard coming to terms with Elena and Stefan's physical relationship; I hadn't expected anything less, however I didn't expect it to be shoved into my face. What went on in their relationship was none of my business; however it was definitely something to be envious of. I hoped Stefan cherished every moment with her.

"I'm surprised to see you two separated so soon. With all the waiting around Elena did for you, I wasn't expecting to see you alone for at least another few days."

"I'm letting her gather her strength back." His eyes closed shut with a smile playing at his lips as he chuckled slightly at his own words.

I couldn't be in the room with him a second longer, before my composure broke. I got up from the seat and headed towards the stairs, making my way towards my room. "You should go get ready for school. Why you decided to endure it over again escapes me completely."

He sat up from the couch, laughter swirling in his eyes, "You know why."

I did know why.

* * *

Stefan POV

My mind and senses were completely at ease as I pulled up into the car lot of the school. My engine purred to a halt as I killed placed the gears in neutral, Elena's head turning to the sound. The night's memories flooded my mind and I matched her grin as she walked towards me. I hopped out and watched her admire my red 356 Porsche 1600 coupe.

"Nice car."

I looked down at it. Yes it was. I had bought the car personally back in 1959 fresh off the market. I had re-modelled its engine a few times over the past decades and had kept it hidden from the rest of the world for a while now. "Yeah, it seemed a bit of a waste to keep it locked away in the garage."

I cupped her face and placed a soft kiss on her lips. The lure of her blood below the surface struck me slightly. I had fed already but the taste of her still lingered and tormented me as I held her a breath away.

"To be honest, I didn't expect to see you here today. I thought one show at school and you'd be fine not to come on a Friday."

"You know, I woke up this morning and I was feeling great... and I figured its time for me to get back into things."

She smiled at me, "I missed you this morning."

I wrapped my arms around her, resting my chin on top of her head, "You looked like you needed some sleep. I couldn't bring myself to wake you."

I pulled back and grabbed her hand, noticing slightly as her eyes unfocused and a slight shiver rolled through her.I wasn't planning on pushing her for information, even though it was impossible for her to remember or even feel what I had done last night.

She looked up at me. "Does this mean you're okay? With all the cravings?"

"Yeah, the worst is over, so..." I brushed a few strands of her hair behind her ear, exposing the side of her neck, "All I want to do is spend more time with you."

She let loose a coy smile, "I'm okay with that."

"Hey, I just got to grab my stuff from the trunk. I'll meet you in class."

A curious expression clouded her face but she brushed it away, "Okay, see you in class."

I watched her leave then headed around to the back of my car, popping the trunk. A few empty blood bags surrounded my bag as I reached into lift it out. I had been smart enough not to steal from Damon's personal stash, and had gone to the blood bank at the hospital. I packed in two filled bags into my pack and shut the hood. Lowering my sunglasses I headed off towards the school doors, slightly inhaling the blood pounding beneath the passing student body.

* * *

Damon POV

I heard the front door open as I was walking through the hallway towards the study. I poked my head around the side to see Stefan ditch his bag on one of the marble benches.

"How was school?"

He turned mid step and continued to walk backwards towards the main area of the house. He shrugged, "Fine."

I followed him as he turned away and continued heading off. "Yeah? Same old, same old?" He stopped, knowing that I wasn't planning to end the conversation on one word, "Nothing new? No stories to bring home?"

He stopped and looked me over as I walked closer to him, "You're making small talk, why?"

I looked at him and spoke with a light prodding tone, "You seem awfully chipper lately, less doom and gloom... no more pep in your step." I bounced a little to emphasise how he'd been this morning.

"And, so?"

I sighed and looked at him with a condescending glance, shrugging, "I don't know Stefan, I don't want to brag or anything, but... I feel I'm responsible for this new and improved you. Finally no more guilt."

"No offence, Damon. But I'm going to let Elena hold all the credit for the way I'm feeling at the moment."

"Mm... no. It can't just be Elena's company that has put this mood in you. I know this mood. Blood." It was the effects of human blood.

"Ah," He patted my shoulder and casually backed away, "I hate to burst your bubble but I'm clean."

"Yeah, _not_ possible."

He turned and faced me still heading backwards. This Stefan was experiencing the effects of blood. He hadn't gained control of his urges or maybe he had, and was simply bypassing all the effects I'd seen a few weeks ago. Maybe he could handle this.

A cocky smile touched his lips "Not only is it possible, but it is quite true."

I looked at him with a knowing smile and briefly closed my eyes, staring at him dead on. "Stefan...Let's be serious for a second." I was not buying this. I began walking towards him slowly, reading his responses as I spoke. "You spent the last century and a half being a poster child for Prozac, and now you expect me to believe that this new you is nothing to do with human blood."

He shook his head and shrugged, "I'm clean."

He began walking away "You're _lying._" I was playfully shocked. Saint Stefan never lied like this.

He shrugged once more but did not turn back to me as he spoke, "Believe what you want."

One thing was for sure, I didn't trust Stefan.

Silently, I followed him with my senses. He stopped at the bottom of the main stairs, looking around to see if I was going to follow him before he made his way to the cellar. Deciding to make my move then, I followed his trail after him. Walking down the stairs after him I stopped in the door way to see the cooler open and filled with hundreds of blood bags, Stefan standing over it about to reach in.

"Well, well. He's a liar and a thief."

* * *

Elena POV

I pushed open my bedroom door and dumped my bag near my closet. Just before I went to throw myself onto my bed I saw a small dark smudge on my pillow. I lifted it up to examine it and saw the slight tinge of red on the splotch. Was that blood?

I went to my mirror and lifted my hair high above my head, looking for any scratch or cut indicating the blood was from a wound on my neck. I smoothed my fingers along both sides of my neck only feeling smooth skin. Nothing. Maybe it was from a previous accident and it had been there for ages.

I went back to the bed and stripped my sheets from the bed, thinking it was time for a clean bunch. Throwing them in the wash downstairs I ran into Jeremy who was flipping through his phone.

"Hey, how was your day?"

"Same old, same old, Elena. How's Stefan going?"

Jeremy had found out a few days before Stefan's capture by the tomb vampires and had been quick to understand that Stefan wasn't like the evil vampires in his video games. He understood that Stefan and Damon were both vampires and that yes, Damon was sometimes vicious, but would never harm me. I sighed at the absurdity of my life conversations and sat down opposite him.

"He's doing a lot better now. He's getting back to his old self."  
"Yeah I saw him at school today, although he got a bit weird when Tyler tripped over in basketball."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Tyler fell over and grazed his knee and Stefan kind of went still and made up some excuse to leave early."

Jeremy didn't know how bad Stefan had been during his last few weeks of torment, as I didn't exactly want him to be hesitant about whom Stefan exactly was. I knew Stefan wasn't like that and I felt I needed to keep his appearance untarnished, not wanting to cause unnecessary problems with what the few people knew him as.

"Strange. No he's doing much better."

My phone beeped and I pulled it out to see a message from Caroline.

_ Don't forget – Miss Mystic Falls Competition dance rehearsal tomorrow at noon._

I let out a groan and Jeremy looked at me questioningly. "Dance rehearsal's tomorrow for the Miss Mystic falls thing." I dreaded tomorrow more strongly as ever.

"Why are you doing that anyway?"

I was quiet for a moment and Jeremy immediately understood why I'd entered. Mom had encouraged me to enter each year. I knew that I hadn't been involved with any of those things much this year, not only because of the vampires but I didn't feel connected to any of it anymore since she'd died. My mom had really enjoyed the towns traditions and events which quirked my interests intently and I still saw it as an honour. She believed in community, family, honour and loyalty. It was the legacy she left to me, she would have wanted me to do it.

I hadn't even thought about it since I'd entered with Caroline. I was going to have to plead Stefan into being my date and have him come with me tomorrow.

Suddenly drained I left the table and grabbed a clean set of sheets from the linen closet before heading up to my room to make my bed up.

* * *

Damon POV

Stefan turned to me, regretting his obvious path to the blood. Did he really expect me _not_ to find out? The look on his face told me so. The blood bags weren't mine but I had a good guess as to where he'd gotten them from."So... When were you going to share?"

He looked down at the bags and stepped to the side, "Go ahead. Help yourself." He kept his cool and calm composure as he had upstairs but I knew he was silently trying to figure out how to get out of this without me thinking twice about his little... _problem_.

"No, no. I'm talking about the fact that you're a closet... _blood junky_."

"So I'm drinking blood again." He shrugged. "What's your problem, you wanted this. I have it under control."

"Under control?" Was he serious? "You robbed the _hospital_." I uncrossed my arms and headed into the room.

He was unfazed. "What's your point?"

I shrugged. "Fine, whatever man. Drink up. Just remember our plan to keep a low profile. Hey, why don't you just walk up to Sherriff Forbes and ask her to tap a vein."

He looked at me with a bored expression, "Have my actions negatively impacted you?" He sucked in air through his teeth, "Imagine what that must feel like."

"Yeah, what does Elena think about the new... you?" I was fuming on the inside. If he hurt Elena once more...

He shrugged. "Nothing's changed I'm still the same person."

"Clearly." He was the complete opposite.

"Elena doesn't need to know anything yet." How could he be so calm about this? We'd just been down this road. It was a fresh wound.

I looked at him in all seriousness. " You've been off the human stuff for years, Stefan. If you're having issues controlling it-

"I'm not having any problems."

My eyes burned and I let my composure slip slightly. "Who do you think you're talking to? Beside the fact that I have much more years of experience with this than you, didn't we just go down this path last week? I know what you're feeling. That Jeckle and Hyde feeling... There's that _switch_ that sometimes goes off and you _snap_. You snapped a few weeks ago and nearly tore Elena's head off. Right now is not a good time for me to be worried about you snapping."

He looked at me with no processing of my words, "I know that it pains you to see this... but I'm fine. Okay? I'm fine. So please," He reached into the cooler and grabbed an O negative blood sack out, "do me a favour... and back off."

* * *

Elena POV

Stefan told me the music playing was Strauss' _Blue Danube Waltz _as we held our hands up towards one another without touching. Carol Lockwood told us all this rehearsal was crucial as we were all going to be performing it in front of the entire town on the day of the competition. Our palms were barely touching as we circled gracefully around one another, Stefan and I trying to keep from laughing as we pulled straight faces as we danced.

As Carol loudly instructed us to place our left hand out and circle one another, keeping eyes intent on one another as we did, I giggled. "This is ridiculous."

Stefan smiled a sly smile at me, "You're only saying that because you don't know how to do it."

"Sorry only one of us was around when this dance was invented."

"Ouch." Stefan smirked and broke the distance between us, grabbing my hand and spinning me until I landed in a dip. I laughed out loud at the sheer fun of it.

"Oh no, no,no ,no,no. "Carol Lockwood was quick to chaste us, "There's no touching during this part," She seemed to be reigning in the craziness at someone stepping out of line of her perfect choreography. "The dance is about the simple intimacy of a near touch."

Stefan let me get back up to an upright stance and put some distance between us, a smirk pulling at his lips.

"Very nice, Amber. And again, people."

Stefan leaned forward his palms out towards mine, "If you ask me, the near touch is overrated."

I looked him over, "You seem to be in a good mood."

He looked at me with a questioning glance, the smirk still in place. "Is that a bad thing? Would you prefer me to be brooding and tortured?"

I was slightly taken off by his ability to joke about his last few weeks of self torment. "Hey I'm not complaining." I leant forward towards him.

"Oh," he backed up a little and feigned seriousness, "no touching."

############################ ###############################################

Sooo what do you think?

Next chapter hopefully up by tomorrow.

Please Review!


	5. Chapter 5

I DO NOT OWN THE VAMPIRE DIARIES

In this chapter I've twisted my favourite episode of season one. Hope you like it.

Please Review.

* * *

Chapter 5

Damon POV

It was the day of the Miss Mystic Falls competition and everyone was in full swing. The Lockwood residence was hosting the party and everyone, including me, was in black tie formal wear. After catching Stefan out a week before, his upbeat and unpredictable attitude had increased, and I had begun to fear for not only Elena's safety but also our exposed existence.

Each day since Stefan's release from the cell in the boarding house Elena had been looking more and more worse for wear. Her skin tone had gone a pale grey and there were large bags under her eyes, her hair sometimes a stringy mess. I didn't peg it as blood loss as her mood hadn't changed into one of fear or concern for Stefan. She had also either been oblivious to Stefan's mood change or was purposefully ignorant towards it.

I kept up polite greetings and manners towards the townsfolk until I made my way up the stairs to where I could sense Elena was. I pushed open the bedroom door and found her holding her gown staring quietly into the mirror. Even though she hadn't been looking like her usual self this past week, looking at her reflection in the mirror still stirred my insides. She was still beautiful.

Her eyes noticed me standing at the door behind her in the mirror, and she spun around in shock. "Hey," She may have been shocked but her voice was friendly and open. "You can't be back here." Considering her words, there was still a smile playing at her lips.

I ignored it and got to the point. "We need to talk."

She held the dress up, "Does it have to be right now?"

I walked into the room and closed the door, "Normally I would have a completely different outlook on what I'm about to tell you, but since I've seen what happened last time... I'll squeal."

She looked at me strangely, "What are you talking about?"

I looked at her solemnly "Stefan's still drinking human blood."

I watched her face go from light curiosity to shock and fear... then disbelief "What?"

"Yeah. A month ago I would have rejoiced. However, considering we've been down this path already... I don't like it."

Her face still remained slightly disbelieved, "I know he's been a little edgy but he said that was normal."

"He has a _fridge_ full of _stolen_ blood bank contraband _in the house_."

Her face turned into one of a corpse and she fell onto a nearby cushioned seat, the fear and shock solidly in place. "Oh my God."

"He has no idea what normal is. His entire existence isn't normal. Normal to a vampire is drinking human blood. But he's spent all this time fighting it... when he should have been learning how to _control_ it... and now it's controlling him instead."

She shook her head and the disbelief was back in place, "I-I can' believe- It's _Stefan_ we're talking about here."

I looked her dead in the eye, "Stefan on human blood, Elena. He'll do anything, he'll say anything... because he's not going to want to stop."

Her hands began to shake in her lap.

"Trust me."

She stood up, her eyes hard and defiant. "No."

No? I could feel my features contort in confusion and frustration. "... No?"

Her entire body was shaking and her voice quivered as she paced about the room. "You're lying. Stefan wouldn't do this again. He wouldn't do this to himself. He wouldn't do this to me. Not after what he's been through. Not after..."

_After what he did to you_... I felt anger and frustration boil inside me but I wouldn't let it show. How could she think I was lying to her? How could she believe that Stefan was still _Saint _Stefan. She was in clear denial and the state she was in was definitely not persuadable.

The door sprung open and Stefan waltzed in. His carefree expression turned to one of suspicion as he spotted Elena pacing and clearly unsettled and me standing in the center of the room. Elena stopped pacing the moment he came in.

"What's going on in here?"

I heard Elena's blood pounding as her eyes locked on Stefan's, her heart racing a million miles an hour.

I broke the silence. "Just having a quick pep talk with Elena about the competition Stefan. She's just full of the jitters." I turned and faced Elena, eyeing her intently before making my exit. "Goodluck, I'll be down stairs... making myself a drink."

* * *

Elena POV

It wasn't true. It wasn't true. It wasn't true.

As Damon walked out the door, his eyes found mine silently cautioning me to be smart. He closed the door and Stefan turned to face me. I knew it wasn't true, however my entire body tightened up as I grew more fearful of him. He had never seemed so dangerous.

He walked towards me and I plastered a smile on my face and spoke before he could open his mouth. For some reason I knew he'd heard mine and Damon's conversation. "I've got to get ready, Stefan. The line up's about to start and I'm not even dressed yet."

"Maybe I can help you."

He continued walking towards me and I felt my entire being spike with panic. I kept my composure together, making sure nothing let up about my raging fears. I joked and pushed against his chest. "Stefan, no. You've got to get down stairs and make sure I have an escort."

I clenched my hands around my gown and felt them shake, keeping my relaxed smile in place.

He eyed me playfully for a moment before he raised his hands and took a step back. "Okay, fine. But I'll get you later."

He walked out and closed the door, leaving me to deal with my emotions. Instead of addressing them, I stripped off my jeans and jacket and roughly threw on my midnight blue satin gown. Walking to the mirror I fixed my hair and adjusted my dress, looking everywhere but my face.

Finally I looked at myself.

_It's fine. It's fine. You're fine. Everything's fine._

This was what Carol Lockwood probably chanted to herself each morning.

Taking a few deep breaths, I slowed my heart beat and my breathing. My hair was pinned back at the crown of my head, letting long ringlets of curls flow down my back. The small pearl earrings seemed to create the delicacy look as the Midnight blue gown tightened at the bodice with ribbons and flowed down, shaping my body nicely. I used to dress in these gowns and go to the major town events, but these days... I'd been a little distracted.

With one last look I turned away from the mirror and headed out of the room towards the top of the stairs where the other contestants were waiting. I stood next to Caroline's dazzling figure. Her green gown was held up on one side of her shoulder, in similar form to what I'd picture a greek goddess to be wearing. Her hair was in large curls set beautifully around her delicate features with a gold necklace resting softly at the base of her neck. She was undeniably beautiful, and I'd never envied her more.

"Miss Tina Fell... Escorted by Nathaniel Whitmore."

A round of applause greeted Tina at the bottom of the stairs as I realised the introduction of the contestants had already begun. I felt the panic of stage freight rise within me as I looked down at the large crowd below.

Carol Lockwood rushed past me whispering harshly at Caroline and me. "Has anyone seen Amber?"

This suddenly all felt to real, and my stomach began tightening as I thought about descending the stairs trying to act normal and like nothing unusual ever happened in the town of Mystic Falls. My breathing hitched and began coming in short gasps as I looked down at the escorts waiting.

Where was Stefan?

Each of the escorts were lined neatly at the base of the stairs and there was a human sized gap where Stefan should have been standing. I spoke to Caroline as I looked over the banister.

"Do you see Stefan down there?"

Caroline leaned slightly over the banister and looked down a grim look on her face. She sighed. "Nope, just my boring date/fill in escort."

I looked up at her "What happened to Matt?"

She sighed again "They wouldn't let him out of work. Wait, what happened to Stefan?"

I let my shoulders sag, but my eyes continued to roam the crowd below, "I don't know. He just disappeared somewhere... What am I doing?" I turned to Caroline, "I never should have gone through with this."

"What do you mean?"

"I need to find Stefan. This isn't me. I'm not this person anymore." I knew that from the get go. Why had had let it go on this long... I had no clue. I pushed myself away from the banister.

"Uh, no, no, no." I turned back to the sound of her voice. "No way. You had your chance to drop out. And believe me I was all for it." She looked me over and a small smile came to her lips, "Because there's no way I can beat you." She looked up at my dubious face. "Elena, you're doing this because it was important to your mom."

I processed her words and nodded. She was right. I had to stick this out... for _her_.

"Miss Caroline Forbes...and her escort Mr Geoffrey Lockwood Hamilton."

She smiled an excited smile that became contagious instantly and gracefully made her way down the stairs.

Carol Lockwood gestured towards me, The last contestant left. "You're next Elena."

And the inner panic re-surfaced. I stiffly walked towards the top of the stairs knowing I had to present myself gracefully in front of a room full of people, only to be greeted at the bottom... by no one. Stefan still wasn't present. The applause died down.

* * *

Damon POV

"Miss Elena Gilbert... and her escort Mr Stefan Salvatore."

I stood in the second row of people watching the staircase as Elena took her first step down the stairs, her delicate hand resting supportively on the banister. My breath hitched as I knew everyone's eyes were frozen on the stunningly beautiful sight in front of them. Her shimmering blue gown hung perfectly in all the right places, her hair cascading ringlets down her back, and her eyes fierce and enchanting. She was the most breathtakingly beautiful creature I'd ever seen.

Her face remained calm and collected yet I registered slight panic as she looked towards the bottom of the stairs. The other escorts with their dates were all looking around themselves for the missing Salvatore. Elena was about to be greeted by empty space where a date should have been.

I took a few steps until I was in Stefan's place at the bottom of the stairs. Elena's eyes lit up in more than simple relief as she saw me waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. My eyes were intent on hers as a small smile curved at her lips as she stepped off the last step.

Then her face turned serious as she barely whispered, "Where's Stefan?"

I whispered soundlessly back to her, "I don't know."

She moved around to my other side and I gently lifted her hand out and presented her to the townsfolk. The crowd gave way for us as I led her out gracefully towards the outside dance floor where more people were gathered. As we stepped outside, Elena's hand squeezed mine as she took in all the watchful eyes. I heard Jenna's voice in the middle of the crowd whisper the question of Stefan's disappearance that was definitely on most people's mind.

I gently squeezed her hand back, reassuring her as her heart raced. I turned her to face me out on the dance floor, lining up with the other couples distanced positions. A soft melody began to play and, as one, the men bowed. I knew the dance that had been assigned for this event well.

As Elena curtseyed delicately she mouthed to me, "What are we going to do?"

"Right now we just have to get through this."

She nodded in agreement and stepped back waiting for the moment where the dance would begin.

* * *

Stefan POV

She was silent as ever as I gulped down the sweet nectar of her blood. Her blonde waves were matted around the escaping blood on her neck and her eyes were transfixed in terror. After I'd seen Elena in that room, the only thing I saw in the last few moments was the blood pumping beneath her skin. I had almost convinced myself to rip her necklace off and drink from her, making sure she forgot, however she was to be on display down stairs in front of the crowd, and a large bite mark would not go unnoticed, especially by those who knew who what I was.

Amber had been pacing in the bathroom in the next room over, panicking about the competition. She was weak, vulnerable and perfect for my inner demon to chase and dominate. Even though I knew it was her in the bathroom, the moment I opened the door there was nothing to resemble Amber... there was only a blood suit.

Retracting my fangs, I left enough blood to continue her hearts rhythm. I lay her gently in the corner near the cubicle and checked my appearance in the mirror. Staring back at me was what I'd dreaded for more than a hundred years. Blood stained the skin around my mouth and my eyes were still the demonic red that was my natural complexion, revealing to the world my blood thirsty nature. What had I become? The lure of human blood had been stronger than ever after I was free from the boarding house. It crushed all of my preserved morals and conscience until all I saw of the awaiting world was blood, blood, blood.

That first night in Elena's room since the cell in the basement was a tantalising siren. I fought it, I held my breath until I was sure my lungs would explode, I tried thinking of something else, I even tried my usual hunt. Nothing worked. Her blood was too strong, and once I could no longer fight, could no longer outlast it... I gave in. When I did give in I was ruthless and ravished. A small part of my mind registered that she would _feel_ what I was doing as I wasn't providing her with an illusion of dreams, her mind conjured up its own assumption of what was happening. However once her blood soared within me, I lost all reason and concern for her. The only thing I knew to do before I left was to smear my blood across her wound. I fled her house as soon as I'd realised what I'd done.

I hid in the trees and watched the first glimmer of light rise through the trees and tormented myself over and over. How could I have done that to Elena...? Again! My good nature eventually faded beneath the returning memory of what it felt like to taste her. The memory of the blood danced over my tongue until I eventually had to shred a family of rabbits sleeping in a nearby burrow. What did matter if I took her blood? As long as I covered my tracks, none would be the wiser. I wasn't hurting her. I wasn't attacking her. I was merely following my natural instincts. The blood had won. It always did.

The sound of Blue Danube flooded towards my ears and I dimly pictured my life before I was turned, dancing with Meredith Cartwell in the Lockwood's Founders Ball. I followed the sound out the bathroom door, but instead of heading down the stairs I made my way to the bedroom off to the side. The sweet music didn't seem to be coming from below, it only continually began to rise, floating and twisting with the air. I pushed open the large white French doors and stepped out onto the stone balcony.

The only sound was the soft music, but I could sense the bodies below me and the soft thrum of their pulsing blood. Looking down I saw a group of five dancing couples moving delicately to the music in the open space made by the crowd. One couple stood out easily from the rest. They seemed to be floating around one another, their focus entirely transfixed on each other as if there was no one else in the world but them. I had never experienced anything like that before, and I envied it immensely so.

How beautiful it was to watch them as if I was witnessing two rejoined lovers dancing beneath the moonlight. Her dark billowing hair floating about her in curls, her gown caught up in the slight breeze as she turned and waltzed around the partner. The dance resembled the simple intimacy of the near touch, but the way the two of them danced around one another it was almost a private moment, making me reconsider my words about the dance. Both of their eyes were locked on one another, the passion rising with each movement. They were opposite ends of a magnet barely keeping from colliding.

My breath hitched, my knuckled turned white on the railing and I felt heat burn fiercely within my chest, reflecting out through my irises. Elena was dancing with Damon? Their eyes danced and laughed, revelling in the perfect moment between them. Elena felt something for Damon? A small annoying part of my mind spoke out; _how could she not? You've become the very thing you've feared and you've hurt her. Your nothing and you don't deserve her._ I pushed it down with a growl and watched as the couples came to a halt as the music stopped. As the crowd applauded the couples stepped out and faced the crowd.

All but two.

Damon and Elena were still locked in each other's eyes making me want to launch off the balcony and crush the lot of them. I stormed off back into the bedroom and disappeared down the steps, slipping out of the dispersing crowd's sight.

I was about to bolt off to the boarding house until I spotted Elena.

She had changed out of her clothes into an outfit that would have made the Queens guards melt. Her hair was still in curls but her lips were turned up in a mischievous smile, her eyes swirling with amusement.

"Hello Stefan."

I blinked. "Katherine?"

############################ ######################### ############################

Soo yeah... What do you think?

Please Review! Please?

Next Chapter hopefully up shortly.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry it's taken me so long to upload promise the next chapter won't take so long in between uploads. Here's chapter 6. Enjoy!

Chapter 6

Stefan POV

"Katherine?"

Keeping her sly smile in place she sauntered up towards me. I was frozen in place. I hadn't expected to ever see her again, however with Elena being her doppelganger I knew I was only hoping not to. She stopped within a few feet from me and looked me over. "God, you haven't changed a bit, have you?"

I was instantly on the defensive, all other thought train flown from my mind. "What are you doing here?" I could feel the low growl building as I spoke.

"Just dodging through, curiosity, etcetera, etcetera." Her words were vague but if I remember Katherine, she always had a few tricks up her sleeves.

Keeping myself on guard I eyed her wearily. Her back in town was not a good thing.

"Come on, Stefan. Didn't you miss me?" Her hand reached out to stroke my face.

I snatched her hand away and threw her far off into a tree. One of the best new enhancements of my blood was the strength it gave me. I was nowhere near as strong as Damon, but it was enough to through Katherine off guard.

She rolled with the force of the throw and landed in a couch by the trunk of the tree, her lips still holding the wicked grin as she looked up at me threw her brown locks. She straightened as if she had barely been touched and looked at me strangely. "You've changed."

I didn't respond. She had picked that up from one movement from me. I had underestimated her once again and I suddenly realised that I didn't have any clue as to how old she really was.

I heard voices behind me and I turned my head over my shoulder, accepting that she wouldn't do anything in front of a group of civilians. As I scanned the dispersing crowd outside the Lockwood residence Katherine purred close to my ear.

"See you soon, Stefan."

I spun back only to find an empty space of where she once stood. It was futile searching for her, she had evaded us all for a hundred and forty-five years. All I knew that Mystic Falls was about to play part to one of her schemes, and that Elena was in danger.

* * *

Elena POV

I drove myself to the boarding house utterly conflicted with myself on the afternoon's events. I kept repeating to myself that this was just one of Damon's ploys to win the tables on Stefan, and that Stefan wouldn't go down this road again. Could he? Wouldn't he? All the doubts flooded my mind causing me to clench the steering wheel hard enough to shoot pain up my arms and into my head, dismissing all thought of the blood thirsty Stefan from my mind.

I breathed deeply, but my thoughts were cruel and jumped straight onto the next thing I didn't want to address. As Damon and I danced at the Lockwood mansion, time seemed to stop... and everything seemed to disappear. There was nothing in the world but his eyes as we danced to the soft music. I felt static between our palms as we held them apart from one another, floating softly around the pavement. There was no barrier between us, his walls completely down as his eyes held mine and saw straight into my soul. I'd never felt that before, not even with Stefan... and it scared the hell out of me.

I pulled outside the boarding house, hoping to find Stefan inside. My doubt spiked once more as I thought back on where he could have been today. I had changed out of my gown into my jeans, but my hair still hung in waves down my back. Pushing open the door, I walked into the house, looking about around me to see if there were any signs of Stefan.

"Stefan?"

The furniture remained untouched and the air kept still, letting my voice echo out through the halls and high ceilings of the boarding house. Each time I walked into the Salvatore home I felt a sense of beauty and preservation all jumbled up into a timeless atmosphere. The two swords crossed over each other above the fire place, the old leather bound books covered in dust on the tall shelves, the head statue in the corner used as a paper weight, and the old high back black leather chair by the fireplace that stood out from the rest of the couches and smelt of cigars and brandy.

I felt eyes on me the moment I stepped into the open room near the foot of the stairs.

"Stefan?"

It was an eerie feeling that made the small hairs on my arms stick out and my breath spike.

The next moment I was pinned to the wall by my throat, the air in my lungs completely shut off. Stefan's blood hazed eyes glared down into mine and his mouth had contorted into a snarl.

"Stefan- Wh- what are you-

I couldn't form a coherent string of words; each word sacrificed my remaining air. My head began to spin as the oxygen was completely cut off from me. My eyes rolled up to the ceiling as I clawed at the iron strong hands that encased my neck.

"You think I don't know it's you,_ Katherine_."

My struggles began to weaken until I had no strength left in my body, then my entire world turned to darkness.

* * *

Stefan POV

I looked at Katherine's form slumped unconscious in my grasp. It angered me further for her to think me stupid enough to fall for her human stunt. I clenched her throat harder and pulled her forward slightly, only to slam her with more force into the wood once again. No response.

A very weak, very slow pulse moved underneath my fingertips and with a powerful jolt of shock I dropped her form. This was not a vampire. This was not Katherine.

_... It was Elena._

Her crumpled form lay at my feet, and there was no rise and fall of her chest to indicate breathing. Panicked out of my mind, I bent down in a blur and bundled her up into my arms.

"Elena... please, no."

I moved her from my lap and laid her on the floor, my hands positioned to perform CPR. The possibility of Elena turning if I gave her blood at this moment was a high chance, and I wasn't about to risk it. Pushing all thought train aside, I tilted her head back and opened her mouth.

I breathed oxygen into her and pumped her chest until I thought it was certain that I had crushed her ribs before her eyes opened and she gasped, gulping down as much air as possible. I tentatively laid my hand on her back as she rolled over and spluttered and coughed her lungs out.

"Well... that didn't quite go the way I expected," I snapped my head up to see Katherine standing there with a satisfied smile, "but it was definitely better than I could have hoped for."

I could feel Elena's fear and confusion exploding from her being as a low growl escaped my throat. "If you want to hurt Elena, you'll have to go through me first."

"I'm not the one who almost killed her, no longer than five minutes ago. However I was simply curious as to who's replaced me. You haven't strayed far from the tracks have you, Stefan. She's me in a meat suit."

"She's nothing like you." I felt my lips curl at my words. Elena was far from Katherine. She was never, nor could she ever be, as cruel and sinister as her.

"No? From what I've seen, it looks like history's repeating itself for both the Salvatore brothers. Both of you are in the midst of tug-o-war and she's ignorant to the choice that's to be made. Hopefully she won't have blood on her hands when that time comes around." She looked over my shoulder to Elena and let her lips curve into a twisted grin. "Nice to finally meet you Elena. I'll see you soon." With a blur of speed, Katherine fled the boarding house.

My breathing still heavy I checked to see that the stench of danger was gone before I turned to Elena, only to find she was crouched against the far wall away from me, with her arms wrapped around herself. Her eyes were locked on me with tears streaming down from the terror in her eyes.

* * *

Elena POV

I didn't speak from the moment I woke up on the floor of the boarding house; Stefan crouched over me with panic in his eyes. My mouth could not form words as I saw the mirror image of myself amused at Stefan's attack on me. I knew that Katherine looked identical to me but I'd never imagined myself in a calm state if I was to ever encounter her. Both of them had hurt me, one intentionally the other... I didn't know. I was petrified into utter silence as my entire body shook from fear of the both of them.

Stefan had attacked me. He had nearly pulverised the bones in my neck as he threw me against the wall and clenched hard on my throat. His eyes had glazed over in both rage and blood lust as he pinned me to the wall. Had Damon been right? Had Stefan really lost himself completely to human blood. Had he ever try to drink from me? Would he ever force it from me?

I barely heard Stefan's excuse and explanation of what had happened at the boarding house as he drove me home. He had seen Katherine earlier today but didn't expect her to ever wonder into his and Damon's house. She was a threat to me, and to the town, and she would do anything, be anything in order to accomplish her plans.

_Stefan on human blood... he'll say anything, do anything... because he's not going to want to stop. _

I shivered violently at the memory of Damon's words and my thoughts trailed back to the thoughts on the possibility of Stefan drinking human blood again. I continued to hear Stefan's words as they flowed without breath from his lips. I was to have all necessary means of protection, and that I was not safe anywhere. The only place that was safe for me was at home or with him.

I felt a tear slip down my cheek as I knew I could hardly ever feel _safe_ with Stefan again. How did one bounce back from this? Stefan assumed it was from Katherine's chaos and continued into a string of words trying to reassure me that I was going to be okay, and that he wasn't going to rest until he'd hunted her down.

I didn't look at him, nor speak a word as I hopped out from his car out the front of my house. With quick speeds I headed up to the front door and closed it as soon as I was inside. Without glimpsing towards Jeremy and Jenna's figures in the kitchen at the end of the hallway, I dashed up the stairs into my room pressing my face into my door as I closed it.

A fresh wave of tears fell down my cheeks as I slumped to the carpet, my legs folding in as I curled myself around them. If Katherine could pretend to be enough for Stefan to attack me, what was to stop her from doing it again? What was to stop Stefan from _killing_ me, if he believed I was her again?

My life was beginning to spin further out of control... and there was _nothing_ I could do to stop it.

* * *

Stefan POV

I had no idea where to start. The only thing I knew was that she was older, and far stronger than I was. I had to gather my strengths and the only solution I knew would work was to grab as many bags from the fridge down stairs and drain them. I may not be as old or strong as Katherine but I was going to damn well be prepared when I found her.

The power I felt as I drained the last bag from the fridge almost pulled me under. I could hear my blood vibrating within my veins and a soft ringing sounding in my ears as my senses heightened to a whole new level. All I had to do now was to find her.

In blurring speeds I was out the front door, acting before thinking. I could not find the patience to search through books and memories enough to link key ideas to where she may be. I reasoned that _doing_ was better than thinking.

She had come into my house and threatened Elena; she almost had me kill her. Rage was winning the battle out of the blood within me as I flashed by each street scanning with each of my senses for anything that would point her out to me. Elena hadn't spoken a word after Katherine had left. The fear in her eyes was enough to send my mind into a twisted mess of pain as I spoke about keeping her out from Katherine's harm. Did she not believe I would keep her safe? How could she? I had almost crushed her with _my own hands_ and left her unconscious. I hated that I had ever landed a finger on her perfect form. She was too pure to endure this much trauma of not only seeing herself in a dark and cruel projection, but to look back into the blazing red vampire eyes of her love and see him attempt to kill her.

I persisted with my thorough scan of the entire town before retreating to my room as the first rays of the sun rose over the horizon. I would eventually find her but settled on the fact that Katherine would not show herself so soon after a frontal attack. She was known not to be so hasty and would bide her time if she wanted to ever get a direct strike at Elena. The day I let my guard down was the day Hell froze over. Let her wait... she'll be in for one hell of a surprise.

* * *

Damon POV

Two days had passed and I had seen neither Elena nor Stefan since the Lockwood residence. I had heard Stefan coming and going at early hours of the morning but not once had he approached me or made himself known within the house. I hadn't known the _exact_ reason for his disappearance on the day but my gut told me it was entirely involved with the rapid changes the blood had on him. Had he fed too much from a human? Whatever his reasons, it was tugging fiercely at my curiosity but I never seemed to catch him in time before he escaped the house and then again in the early hours of the morning. Was he going to see Elena? Had she ignored everything I'd said in the dressing room? How the _hell_ could she be that naive? If it wasn't that, she was purposefully in denial.

I was scanning the streets below from the apartment building roof when I spotted Elena. There was something different about her that almost had me mesmerised. Her long brown locks were twisted into flowing curls down her back, her clothes were tight and emphasised each of her curves beautifully, and her hips were swaying as she walked the streets below.

Before I could let my mind wonder further I was slightly taken aback. Elena was one of the most modest people I had ever met, sure she had her fiery moments, but strutting dark alleys at night was not something I had ever imagined her doing.

I quietly crept along the roof top, keeping my eyes trained on her figure as she headed down the almost deserted road. I watched as she flipped her hair, and swayed her hips seductively at passersby and began to think that maybe she was drunk. As soon as the last person emptied from her path I swooped down behind her causing her to turn around and look me over head to toe.

I eyed her back curiously "What are you doing?"

The twist of her lips, the glint in her eyes and the way she sounded as she spoke was enough to drive all thought of Elena standing in front of me from my mind. "Damon."

I couldn't speak. All my existence had been spent on searching for this woman, my entire life spent destroying myself over her, everything I had lived for... everything I'd died for, was now standing directly in front of me.

She slowly strode towards me and trailed her slender finger across my lips. "My sweet, sweet, Damon." I couldn't stop the shiver that jolted through me at the first feel of her touch.

I wanted to ask her so much, the questions bubbled on the tip of my tongue. I wanted to know why she left me. Why she didn't look for me sooner. She had to have known I was searching for her. It wasn't as though I made it inconspicuous.

Then it struck me.

I gave my life for her.

I spent my life searching for her.

... I died for her.

And she knew exactly where I was, what I was doing... and didn't care.

I felt like kicking my own ass as I crushed the emotions she brought to the surface within me. After all this longing and all this pain she'd caused me, I welcomed the rush of hate that surged through me as her finger trailed from my lips down along my neck.

My eyes turned icy cold as I stared down at her angelic face. "What are you doing here?"

"Would you believe I missed you?" She batted her eye lashes up at me and pressed herself against me. I was shocked to find that the hate over rode the intensity of passion I used to feel from her.

I grabbed her shoulders hard and restrained her from me, shoving her back slightly as I let go. "No, I wouldn't believe that. Give me one good reason why I don't just kill you now?"

Her eyes turned catlike and her lips curled into a seductive smile as she purred, "I like the new you. Maybe I have missed you."

I couldn't stop the words as they surged out from his lips, "Then why didn't you come for me?" My guard had fallen and what I'd suppressed within myself for over one hundred and forty-five years came tumbling out in the open.

She was slightly taken aback at my sudden swift change of emotion and kept silent for a moment. I had rendered her speechless. If she never saw this coming how the hell could have I?

I steadied myself but my voice was still haunted by her betrayal. "Why didn't you come find me? You _knew_ I was here... What am I to you?" My icy closure crept into my last words, and frustration and anger slammed into me like a ton of bricks. In blurring speeds I had her pinned to the gritted wall of the dark alley, glaring down into her brown orbs in search for answers.

"If it's tormented you so much, why don't you just kill me?" Her smirk had slid back in place knowing the effect she'd had on me being finally open to the world.

"Maybe I will."

She looked directly into my eyes and disbelief clouded her features, "Come on, Damon. You can't fool me. Kill me or kiss me... and we both know you're only capable of one."

My entire being began to shake with the force of the decision held above me like the weight of the world was resting on my shoulders. I could do it, I really could. I could end her. I could take revenge on the last century and a half of my seemingly worthless existence and end it all. Two moves and I could have the stake out at sticking out from her chest. However, she was right... and we both knew it.

I slammed my body into hers, pressing us up against the dank wall of the alley as my lips crushed down onto hers. She responded instantly, maybe even before I'd moved, she'd predicted my decision. Slamming one another into the walls, and cluttered ground in the alley, we both tried hastily to get at one another.

I'd dreamt for over a hundred years of having her back in my arms and the day had finally come. Her lips were fighting back, both of us locked in the battle for dominance and passion. She tore my shirt open and ran her hands down my chest before pulling me back to her. I threw our tangled bodies to the ground and held my weight above her, a new hunger circling my being other than bloodlust.

As her hands began to move over my body, the sickness of doubt flooded my mind. This wasn't a mutual feeling between us, or if it was, she was showing no hint of love that I held for her. I had to know. The unanswered questions dug their way into my head like jack hammers enough to force me to speak around our locked lips.

"Wait- wait, wait..." She let go, both of us breathing heavily as she silently questioned my pause in the moment. "Brief pause."

She was out from under me in a second; standing a few feet away from me as I pulled myself off the ground. Her clothing was torn in all different places from our moment but her eyes were fiercely alert as to why I had stopped.

"I have another question." My breathing was still erratic.

"I thought you were all out of questions."

I continued on as if she hadn't spoken, and could see on her features that this was more than the curiosity of her whereabouts. "Answer it and its back to the glares and ice... Answer it right, I'll forget the last hundred and forty-five years I've spent missing you. I'll forget how much I loved you. I'll forget everything and we can just start over."

Her eyes still held their guard but I could see them slightly wavering with uncertainty as she realised what I was saying.

I took a slow step towards her, my eyes still locked on hers. "This can be our defining moment, because we have the time... that's the beauty of eternity. I just need the truth, just _once_."

It had begun to tear me to pieces inside as I spoke each word aloud. I didn't know if I could face the alternative answer, but it was better now than never.

"I don't want to hurt you, Damon." Her voice was a mere whisper as her eyes glistened. Her words almost struck me down but my hope was powerful enough to keep me standing. That wasn't an answer.

"You won't. Just... tell me."

"Damon, I- I can't- I don't feel that way. I don't love you."

It was the crushing blow that caused my eyes to glaze over and my feet stagger backwards.

* * *

Stefan POV

I couldn't do it anymore. It wasn't enough. The packaged blood, the stray humans who were unfortunate enough to stumble across my path, no longer seemed to create a dent in my thirst. If I didn't have something sustaining me soon, the vow for Katherine's defeat was lost.

I knew what I needed. I knew where to get it. But dare I? After all the reason for this mission had begun for the concern of her safety... but there was nothing on the face of this earth that was more tantalising than her essence. Whether she was an angel from heaven of demons come to punish me, Elena Gilberts blood was the only thing I sought out.

I could go back to the way it was, take only a few drops and control her dreams. She would remain safe, and I could control myself enough to not take anything that would affect her in the slightest. Before I'd even agreed to it, my feet had carried me up to the window sill of her bedroom. I was inside before I could object, and I was by her side before I could admit defeat.

My lips were at her throat as the last of my defences crashed down within me. Once again, I found myself fang deep in Elena, with the bloodlust having absolute control.

* * *

Elena POV

I was floating in Damon's arms, his tuxedo black as night and his eyes a piercing blue as he smiled mischievously down at me as we danced throughout the Lockwood terrace. It was the day of the Mystic Falls competition but there was no one else present except the two of us. I had dreamt nothing else but this dream since the day of the dance and I smothered myself in each detail of that perfect day enough to almost feel like I was reliving the moment countless times over in blissful happiness.

Damon spun me out from him and my eyes lifted to the ceiling, a laugh escaping my lips at the joy of what we were doing. As his hand twirled me back towards his chest I stumbled against him with a laugh. I looked up to see vibrant green eyes smiling back at me. I faltered slightly only to be moved gracefully into a dip, my partner leaning over me with a tender smile.

"I'm sorry I'm late."

I felt my lips smile weakly back at him as he pulled me upright again. Stefan led me in a soft and graceful waltz across the stone floor, his eyes locked on mine. I looked down and saw that my dress had changed from midnight blue to crimson red truffles. Something within me spoke softly, only sounding for my ears as Stefan kept his soft gaze on me, unfazed by the words. _This isn't right. You can feel something changed. He's not who you want to be dancing with._

I ignored the soundless words and continued to be swept around the room in Stefan's arms, but I could feel that I was not entirely involved with the movements as I had been before.

Before with who?

Who had I been dancing with?

My memory clouded and all I could remember was Stefan spinning me about the room. Something tugged slightly trying to help me remember, but I was spun out from Stefan and back tightly to his chest that it scattered all thought but the present moment.

...

I awoke sluggishly and found the sun's rays on its final descend past the trees in the distance. Confused, I rolled over and checked the clock and saw five fifteen flashing in bright red. How had I slept so late? I'd missed the entire day.

I lifted the covers off and, with more effort exerted than usual, slung my legs off onto the floor. I received a harsh wake up as my legs crumpled under me as I attempted to stand and my shoulder and head crashed into the floor.

What had happened to me that had almost drained me completely?

* * *

Katherines back and she's working a completely different angle.

As you can see Stefan's conflicted with enjoying the blood and what's right when it comes to protecting Elena.

Chpt 7 should be up in the next coupke of days. Your reviews inspire me to continue write, so if you could **Please Review,** I'd gladly appreciate it!


	7. Chapter 7

I'm soo sorry i wasn't able to upload this chapter earlier, computers can be devastatingly annoying when they malfunction.

Please Ejoy and R&R

Chapter Seven

Stefan POV

The cat and mouse game I had been playing with Katherine since the day she waltzed into town was growing tiresome. I'd never accept defeat, but the countless nights I'd searched for her, fuelled entirely on Elena's blood, seemed to be to no avail. I had soon learnt that no other blood put me at my height of power like Elena's did. I knew that each time I drank it my veins would hum with the rising power flowing through them, and as the nights wore on, and searches became more and more futile, it would require more blood than the night before to sustain me.  
I was barely aware of the diminishing voice that spoke volumes of reasons against what I was doing, but the more I drank, the easier it became to crush any moral doubts as the will to keep her safe outweighed the will to do what was right. But this was right. Protecting Elena at any cost was what I'd vowed to do the moment I laid eyes on her. Capturing Katherine was the only way I could ensure she was never harmed. It was the only thoughts running through my mind as I turned over every rock in the South district of Mystic Falls hunting for the source of threat.

Katherine.

I knew it was her before she appeared at the end of the street. The sly smile that played about her lips told me that she'd been toying with me for the past week. She'd known all along that I'd been searching for her, and it had just become another one of her games.

With a wink she vanished. I sprinted over to where I'd last seen her and checked each direction she could have taken. Her ghostly chuckle drifted down towards me, causing my head to snap up and see a slight glimpse of her dark curls before they dashed over the roof top. I launched myself up onto the roof top and jumped over to where I caught the last glimpse of her, where I came up against numerous chimney pillars.

"I like this little game of yours, Stefan. Sort of kinky." Her words drifted across the roof tops from all directions. It was too general of a sound to determine where she was exactly.

"I began to think you'd grown tired of this town. You left before, why not again?" my voice called out in conversational tone as I began scanning each of the pillars trying to seek her out.

"Because, I'm having fun," I felt her warm breath directly on my neck which was then followed by a fast brush of wind as I turned around. I felt my lips form into a snarl as I followed the wind path but came up empty handed, "besides Stefan, it wouldn't serve my ulterior motive."

My hand reached behind and felt the cold steel handle of the gun wedged in the back of my belt. My first intentions were to murder her on sight, end her torment over Elena. Her mention of a larger plan had me hesitate. I felt eyes on my back as I stood silently scanning.

Without allowing her time to move, I darted to the left spun and pulled the trigger thrice.

The abrupt movement in a different direction to what she predicted caught her off guard, allowing me enough time to hit her in her shoulder, stomach and knee. Each area was enough to disable her movement but keep her alive. Her scream of anguish was sweet music to my ears.

Bending down close to her crumpled form I pointed the barrel of the gun directly between her eyes, "Now... give me one reason why I shouldn't pull the trigger for a fourth time tonight?"

...

* * *

Elena POV

I hadn't been able to stray too far from bed in just over 5 days now. Each time I tried I'd feel the world tilt and I'd land, either on the solid floor or, hopefully, back on the bed. Jenna had taken one look at me and tried to race out to call the doctors. After finally having conned her into not calling them, pulling the simple stomach ache card, she reduced herself to simply doting on my every whim; that was if I ever asked her for anything. I found I had barely any energy to speak louder than hushed conversations before I'd run out of energy. She'd joked about how it was time for me to give up smoking, but no matter what bantering we had between us the concern was all too visible each time she looked over me.

Damon had ignored my thousand phone calls and hadn't made his presence known since the Mystic Falls Competition. I deduced it down to him deciding to completely stop caring all together after I'd dismissed his assumptions of Stefan. Why had I automatically turned away from him? We had developed a relationship to the point where we could trust each other, and I had straight away closed the door on his face. Who was I to dismiss his words; was it because Stefan wouldn't do that, or was it because I was in denial?

Although that wasn't the main thing that continued to cross my mind each free moment I had. What was that I felt when I danced with Damon? Did I want to delve into those memories to figure out what I felt, still feel, for him? I immediately crushed them down. That was wandering into uncharted waters and I didn't know how deep they really went. I wasn't someone who volunteered to get wet.

The dominant reasoning of what I had assumed had happened to Damon was that he'd run off with his dream girl, and I'd never see him again. That one thought hurt the most; I'd feel completely shattered if he wasn't in my life.

Acting purely on the basis of never wanting to experience that, I dialled his number once more. "...come on, Damon."

"Hello Elena." His voice sounded falsely cheery as I exhaled in relief at the sound of his voice. "To what do I owe the privilege of your time?"

I let out a breathily chuckle, "Would you believe to simply hear your voice?" I honestly didn't know if those words were the truth or not. My entire body felt like it was loaded with sandbags.

"No. Nice try though. I don't know, nor care, where Stefan is." He sounded frustrated and bored as spoke the words like he was reading them from a well rehearsed script.

"I'm not calling for Stefan. Besides the obvious, is there a reason you haven't answered your phone?" Each word that flew from my lips was starting to make me feel dizzy. I could feel sleep lulling me away from the day.

"I've been right here in Mystic Falls the past week; haven't gone anywhere. I'm not your pocket pooch; I don't come running to every..."

My conscience drifted off as the phone dropped from my fingertips, sleep commanding my world for the fourth time that day.

* * *

Damon POV

"I don't come running to every time the phone rings." I was about a third of the way through the bourbon bottle that hung loosely from my fingertips as I looked out at the sunny afternoon through the high arch windows of the dining room, "Was there anything specific to your phone call or should I just assume that these phone calls are hints of you being completely obsessed with me?"  
There was no response on the other end as I waited for her quick rebuttal to my bantering. Looking down at the screen of my phone I saw that I was still in a phone call with her and that reception wasn't the problem.

"Elena?" Smiling as I did, I tapped my fingers against the speaker of the phone, knowing it would cause a loud audio flux on her end, slightly annoying her. Putting the phone back up to my ear I listened for a response.

Better be safe than sorry.

I hung up and took a step in the direction of the front door. Mid step I looked down at the devilish friend who'd kept me company the last few days, dangling from my fingertips. Taking one final swig, I dumped the bottle on the nearest table and headed out the door.

No matter how many countless times I'd drilled into my head not to let the girl damage my life like the last one so perfectly destroyed, the sting of worry irked up within my head as numerous possibilities assaulted me with what could have happened to her. Despite the fact that she was simply a fragile human, she was a human who attracted trouble in a fifty mile radius. A human who had come to mean more to him than a walking meal and wasn't the _worst_ company in the world.

I wouldn't let my mind drift as I got closer to her house. I couldn't afford to let true feelings assault my being any more than they already had. That was just screaming for trouble.

Launching myself from the grass two-stories below her room, I swiftly landed in Elena's room through the open window. A quick scan of the room showed no signs of struggle or fight breakout, but what almost obliterated the remains of what was left in my chest, was the corpse sullen figure lying in the bed. I was able to let a sigh of relief out when I saw the steady rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.

Seeing the dropped phone on the floor next to her bed, I reached down and put it up on her bedside table. I tucked her arm that had been holding the phone back into the covers and gently stroked away the hairs that had fallen over her face.

She looked more than rundown; she was teetering on the edge of extreme exhaustion. Her eyes were sunken and dark and her skin was almost translucent in the glow of twilight outside. How long had she been like this, or more importantly how-

My fist clenched involuntarily as I put two and two together. I'd seen a few people in Elena's situation, and I had been the one to put them there. With one fleeting look down at her, I fled out of the apartment. The answer to the question was confusing but one thing was for sure... Stefan still had a hell of a lot of explaining to do.

...

* * *

Stefan POV

"Where were we?" Katherine struggled at the vervain soaked ropes that were steaming as they came into contact with her skin. I had dragged her down into the cell underneath the main floor of the boarding house and tied her to the chair whilst she was "that's right; we were just at the part where you were going to tell me what you came back for."

Katherine glared back at me, a psychotic smile curving at the edges of her lips, "You know if you wanted excitement, a blindfold works just as well."

Her bravado was impressive considering the amount of pain she must of been enduring. "Answer the question or-

"Or what? you'll torture me? Real original, Stefan."

I sighed loudly and lifted the bucket next to me, splashing the contents on her face. Her screams echoed loudly as the vervain seeped into her skin, burning as it went. "Yeah, I'll torture you. I'll do whatever it takes for you to tell me the truth"

Her eyes brimmed with tears as she looked up from her hunched shaking position from the set. "I wasn't lying when I said I'd missed you Stefan. Is this how you treat someone you loved?"

"No this is how I treat someone who threatens the life of Elena."

She looked me dead in the eyes as she spoke, "I came back for _you_."

"Why threaten Elena then?"

"If you can actually recall it, I never threatened her."

I let a growl escape my lips at her pathetic attempt of bringing in the technicalities. She'd toyed with people's lives for entertainment; I knew she wouldn't hesitate to do the same to me and Elena the moment she found out about her. She wasn't getting that chance.

"You do realise she's me in a meat suit right? Is that the thrill you get out of being with her, pretending to be human?"

"She's nothing like you, and I don't have to pretend to be anything."

"So you going against your nature and drinking animal blood, lying to both Damon and Elena – you know, the one you're doing all of this for – about being fine, drinking from Elena in the middle of the night... that's you _not_ pretending, right?"

I kept my face stoic, but I was shocked as to how she knew all she did.

"Oh, yes Stefan. I know everything. By the way, how are you're cravings going? Is your supply dwindling yet?" A knowing smile curled her lips into an all out grin as she witnessed her words affecting me. Elena had started physically experiencing the worst part of my feeding, and Katherine knew just as well as the next vampire what'd happen if I fed too much too quickly.

I heard the front door slam upstairs indicating that Damon was home, and he knew something. Turning away from Katherine I pulled the cell door closed and locked it, heading up the stairs without another look towards her.

I heard the clinking of glass coming from the lounge room to the right of me. Keeping my expressions and emotions calm I walked in to the room to see a slightly irritated Damon staring intently into the crackling fire. "What's going on Damon?"

With the fire still reflecting in his eyes, he turned to the side to face me, "You've got some serious explaining to do, brother."

* * *

Hope you like!

Next chapter up shortly. Please R&R XxXx


End file.
